Apprentice recruitment

A record number of applications were made for our Craft Apprenticeship this year following a highly successful social media and digital campaign, with almost 1,700 applicants applying for the 100 vacancies on offer – a rise of about a quarter on last year.

Nearly 1,000 prospective Apprentices progressed through to the testing stage of the recruitment process for the 2016 intake, an increase of 16% on 2015 numbers.

A number of current Apprentices were interviewed and filmed and the footage was used as part of the recruitment campaign to highlight the different roles available for Linespersons, Jointers and Fitters. Four short films were produced along with bespoke adverts and editorial about the roles, all of which was promoted on social media and through online advertising.

Bev Collings, Employee Relations Manager, said: “We’re delighted with the increased numbers this year, not only in quantity but in the quality of candidates. Our modernised recruitment campaign approach seemed to contribute to the increase, showing applicants that we are a good company to work for, with excellent training and career opportunities.”

Our staff from Network Services, Training and Employee Relations are heavily involved in the ongoing selection process, which involves a series of elimination stages including technical reasoning, maths tests, practical assessments and a face-to-face interview.