With National Apprenticeship Week beginning today, director of IT recruiter IT Skillfinder, Darren Hall, tells Recruiter that the three apprentices that the company took on recently are one of its key recruiting channels, along with hiring graduates and experienced consultants.

The three apprentices were selected from around 150 applications to the firm, which came 42nd in Recruiter's 2013 FAST 50 league table of the fastest-growing private recruitment businesses in the UK.

Amy Martin, IT Skillfinder's training and learning & development manager, says the company was looking for people, who could not only do the job “but also fit in with the company's culture.” She tells Recruiter: “We looked for people who were hard working, had sales instinct, good communication skills, were resilient, and a team player.”

The apprentices had one and a half weeks' initial training, and are now working towards a Level 3 Diploma in Employment Related Services, through a mixture of on the job and classroom based training, including an assessment every two months. 

The training has been outsourced to a training company, Hawk Training, whose costs are reimbursed by the government, Hall explains. 

“At the end of the year they should all get a qualification,” says Martin. 

The apprentices receive a salary that is “substantially more” than the National Minimum Wage, as well as having their travel expenses paid, adds Hall. They also get the chance to earn more money, for example, if they source a candidate that is selected for interview. 

Tom Collin, one of the apprentices on the scheme, tells Recruiter that an apprenticeship compares favourably with coming in as a graduate. “It is specifically designed for recruitment, so it gives you the best possible start,” he says.  

Hall says he has high hopes for the new apprentices and the scheme. “Ultimately, this is our testing ground to find our recruiters of the future.”

• Check back all this week for more apprenticeships news during National Apprenticeship Week on recruiter.co.uk