Have you ever had a work experience student you wish you could have hired there and then?…

Here at Creative Alliance we’re firm believers in work experience and each year we host a student for 3 weeks within our company. Sometimes you know almost instantly if you’ve hit the jackpot, and we certainly did with our student towards the end of last year. Sina joined us from Germany and very quickly became a valued member of the team. She was exactly what you’d want from a work experience student and we would have done anything to keep her – but I’m quite sure that the company she worked for back home, Bosch, would have been decidedly upset had she not returned to them 3 weeks later.

Sina came in and instantly seemed to make herself indispensable. By the end of the process we couldn’t remember how we’d survived without her. She got stuck in, helping us organise learners exams, assisting with group guidance sessions and becoming a part of learner induction days. Not to mention doing all of this without speaking her first language! Truth be told, before she left Sina put together a manual on a new process that she’d actually introduced to the company during her placement and we still use it to this day. Having someone come in to an office for three weeks and make such a lasting impression is a testament to how beneficial work experience can be.

Seeing how quickly Sina adapted to the office, and how much she seemed to be enjoying her time with us, was a real reminder of how important it is to open your doors to young people wanting to get some real hands-on experience in a successful business. Companies should use work experience placements to their advantage. It’s not about students sitting around twiddling their thumbs and making the tea, they want a real world experience – let them have it!

Surely there’s other companies out there who’ve had these impressive work experience candidates, people who implanted themselves into their companies and instantly became a really valued member of the team, it can’t just be Creative Alliance striking it lucky?

Have you been thinking about expanding your team, but the thought of actively recruiting someone is putting you off? Hiring an Apprentice doesn’t always have to mean going through a recruitment process. If you’re looking for someone as soon as possible and you come to us with names of a few people who have crossed your path in the past, then let us get in touch with them, and see if they’ve ever considered an Apprenticeship. With the pull of a full-time job, a free qualification, 13 months’ worth of experience and a monthly pay packet, they might just jump at the chance.

We understand that some businesses really can’t wait the recommended 4-week recruitment period. Or they might not have the time to sit through a number of interviews, keeping their fingers crossed that their dream candidate might have applied.  If you had an amazing work experience student for two weeks last summer, get back in touch with them and ask them if it’s OK for you to give us their details and we can get in touch and see if they’d like to consider being your Apprentice!

Apprenticeships are a great cost effective option when looking to offer a talented person a position and if you’ve already seen them work well within your company then the risk is almost minimal!

If you have someone in mind, or would like to hear more about your options around hiring an Apprentice, please get in touch with us.

Give us a call on 0121 753 0049 or email us at info@creativealliance.org.uk