To think this is a bit much for a 16 year old

[Catvsworld]

My son has been applying for apprenticeships and he recently got a face to face interview

My family are delighted however they were shocked to find out he has two more stages after this after already complteing 3 stages before hand

On line application
IQ test on line
On line interview
Assment day
Then the face to face interview this is were he's up to
Then an skills week (residential )
Then if he gets it he has to pass his driving test with in one year or joining
Tbh I think it its a lot even for a adult and I am not also trying to get GCSEs done

It did make me think for everyone's reaction it's quite a lot or Aibu any recruiters mums out there oh is a manger has to hire people says this is a bit exssive

[Goingtobeawesome]

No point giving an apprentice to someone without a clue. Of course they need to see what skills he has, if any.

[amidawish]

YANBU about the timing, no. Right in the middle of GCSEs

YABU about the number of steps. It sounds a great opportunity.

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

If apprenticeships are to be a viable alternative to the A level/ university route, then they should have a rigorous application process. It's an expensive business training people over several years and they need to be clear that the applicants are committed to start and finish the training.

So far as the timing is concerned, exam season has been at this time of year since Adam was a lad. Don't know why the company has scheduled them at the same time, unless they are less concerned about GCSEs.

If your boy is determined, he'll get through it.

[Chlobee87]

I think the main issue is the timing - right in the middle of exam season is not ideal. But IME that is unlikely to be driven by the employers (although my experience was with a small employer and not in engineering so obviously this could be completely different). In our case we registered with an agency who supplied candidates for interview so if there were no available candidates (i.e. nobody was applying at that time because of exams) then we simply didn't have anybody to interview at that time.

It's a huge undertaking for a company to take on an apprentice. I think there's a perception that they are 'cheap labour' whereas this couldn't be further from the truth. If you do it properly, training an apprentice is a huge drain on resources and it takes a massive commitment from the employer for an extended period of time. I think it's more than reasonable for a company to want as much reassurance as possible that they are investing in the right candidate.

Our candidates actually had to do more assessments than your son. They had to do something similar to what you've described to get past the agency's vetting process. We then had them carry out our own aptitude tests as part of our interview process on top.

[Catvsworld]

It's a foundation

He's required to get his driving one year after 17 he will be 17 at Christmas
I do agree he's done very well and wanted him to no that as some that didn't make it were 18 and had driving already

It will be 3 years with 4 months residential training each year not sure if it's spread out must be

[Catvsworld]

No I think the main thing for us is all this plus exams they had there mock results ages ago feel they could of done it then or simply waited till after the first two weeks in June

Fingers crossed he's already got one with. A well known comapy but really wants this one tbh

[RattieOfCatan]

I was going to ask if it was something like engineering! Normal for engineering I reckon from what I know.

DH is just finishing a degree in electrical and electronic engineering and when he first decided to go into engineering he looked at the apprenticeship route. They really like to make sure that they get the right people!

It's very similar with the intern/sandwich year and graduate position interviews too. DH went through a really vigorous process to get both the intern year job with a company who work on defence electronics and the graduate job he's got with a major national company. The defence company job included really in depth security checks which included information about my family, which given that we weren't married at the time was a bit strange! The national company he'll be working for in September held it's graduate interview process in January but DH applied in early December and was doing the tests from then and over Christmas. The residential was the hardest bit as he had to get there and miss classes but they did pay a good fuel allowance for it. He has another residential at the beginning of September for initial training too, along with a day up there in July and having to travel to London for medicals, so if your son does get the job he's applying for then do be aware that he may have more residentials or other requirements! The fact that he's gotten so far already though is a really good sign, these companies are really tough on their candidates (understandably so!) and even if he doesn't get a job out of it he should look at reapplying next year as he's done brilliantly so far!

If it makes you feel better for your son, a friend of ours is looking at doing an apprenticeship in engineering now (though aimed at those with some experience in studying it already) and will be facing a similar experience to your son, he's ten years older and is bricking it!

If your son is doing this for a big company have a google on tips to get through the interview process, we found a really good guide for DH which helped him focus a bit more on his interview technique and also just the small things like the particular company quirks and particular things that they want you to know before you get to interview.

[80Kgirl]

This is not unreasonable. It is a sign that the company is going to spend a LOT of money training him. When companies are spending the best part of £100K training young people over the course of 2-5years, they need to make sure they are choosing the right candidates. The right candidates are people able to do the job, keen to do the job, who will fit with the company culture and stick around once they have all that lovely training.

An intensive selection process is a good sign that they apprenticeship is very valuable.

The only unreasonable thing is doing it in the middle of GCSEs!

[CMOTDibbler]

The company I work for takes on engineering apprentices, and they put a huge amount of effort, time, and money into training the apprentices over a few years so its a big thing for them in making sure that the right people come into the scheme. I don't think ours is as complicated, but we only have 2 people a year coming onto the scheme

[Catvsworld]

Thanks rattie

We done all we can told help so have the school he has a portfolio full of stuff from school and army cadets his head of year wrote him a refrance even though he knows they will want to formally write in for one


He's got a sharp suit oh has been giving him ok interviews

So I have everything crossed

Your dh dosent have a job for him lol it's exactly what he wants to do

[Tonis2297]

They have the same process for Asda I worked in there and there was an online test , group interview and then face to face , how difficult do they think stacking shelves are McDonald's have a similar process , if it's engineering it's a difficult job my dp is trying to get into engineering through his job and it's difficult so not surprising and the rate of pay is good along with a job for life

[Catvsworld]

Wow I didn't know that I know getting a job at marks can be quite hard

[MrsJayy]

When Dd1 did the asda interview and didnt get it she was mortified she went to sainsbury instead who didnt have theridiculous interviewprocess .

[MrsJayy]

When dd was at college that should have said* Lush also have 4 weekly training before they start work its soap

[JustLostTheGame]

So he has a one week residential and a year to pass his driving test?

No, thats not a lot at all. Many 16 year olds are working around doing their exams. Its very doable to fit in a couple of driving lessons a week funds allowing.

[SleeplessRageMonster]

He might as well join the navy, he'd get paid as well as trained, get to travel etc...I know a few friend's children who decided to do this because land-based work was so rare for young teenagers.

[DrMorbius]

YorkieDorkie 90% of teachers I have met, shouldn't be allowed to teach. You sound like one of them. Your post is idiotic.
It makes a bit of a mockery of GCSEs to say that employers/colleges still want all of this before they'll accept him! I hate that when I go for a teaching job I have to demonstrate my teaching. Why? I am qualified, have experience like in any other job sector

Firstly GCSE's are general qualifications, the hiring company obviously want to investigate deeper/other skill sets or characteristics. Plus if the apprenticeship is like mine (also Engineering) 5 years of college will be mandatory.

As above I suspect you have to demonstrate you can teach because merely being qualified (on paper) doesn't demonstrate how good a teacher you are. Especially as in an interview you are probably competing against their candidates. The fact that, this is not obvious to you, blows my mind. I wouldn't employ you.

[MrsJayy]

Dh did an adult apprentiship to do the engineering job he does now the selection/interview process took 4 months your son has done well to get so far i know its not great timing but he must be coping well

[BillSykesDog]

Looking at it another way, some apprenticeships are useless. Particularly ones like 'customer service' (teach you how to work in a shop) or some of the 'business administration' ones (how to use a photocopier, making cups of tea). All they want is a years cheap labour and they offer few prospects and unlikely even a job at the end. These are the kind of apprenticeships that just ask for a CV and a half hour interview.

This job obviously intends to invest heavily in it's apprentices and give them real skills, which is why they want the best people. He should go for it.

[MrsJayy]

Yes this sounds like a proper old fashioned apprentiship some of the MA is ridiculous there was 1 advertised for superdrug the other week why not employ a young person?

[BillSykesDog]

People might moan about the Asda selection test. But you can bet if posters on here went to Asda and got served by a dim unenthusiastic, unhelpful idiot they'd be posting to complain about how Asda should have better staff!

Also, these processes mean that people who actually want the job and are prepared to put a bit of work in to get it self select. Those who just don't have anything better to do or are applying just for the sake of it are weeded out.

They're businesses, they want good staff. They aren't giving out jobs as a social service.

[RattieOfCatan]

op DH is only just starting the career himself unfortunately! He has said before that if he could go back and start the process earlier he probably would have gone down the apprenticeship route. He loved doing most of his degree but in each year he had at least one group project where they had to prop up others who couldn't be arsed. Admittedly he did tell them to go fuck themselves in an official-through-uni-complaints-capacity this year and in his second year but he'd have rather avoided the whole thing. The guy this year plagiarised Wikipedia like the clever sausage he must be you'd think that 3rd years would have more sense!

[2016Hopeful]

It sounds a lot but I think your son should just look at it as a good experience even if he doesn't get on it. Interviews these days can be quite hard even for quite basic positions so after this other interviews may not seem so daunting.