HTP
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HTP was established in 2000, originally as the Hospitality Training Partnership, to help individuals start and advance in their career through Apprenticeships. HTP offers Apprenticeships in Hospitality, Management, Retail, Customer Service and Business Administration. HTP have been using Apprenticeship vacancies since its launch in January 2009.
HTP have advertised 60 vacancies on the system between January and July 2009. As well as matching learners to these Apprenticeship places, HTP also support all applicants that they receive through the system, providing guidance on other pathways such as Pre- Apprenticeship programmes or e2e, which may be more appropriate to the learner at that point. Simon Attrill, HTP’s Regional Development and Communications Manager, outlined how using the system had benefited their business, saying “From our point of view, Apprenticeship vacancies allows us to have a structured way of recruiting apprentices onto our programmes and also to meet the needs of employers.”
Apprenticeship vacancies as a marketing tool
HTP use Apprenticeship vacancies as part of their overall marketing strategy, to promote the benefits of working with HTP to customers. They see it as “a way for us to engage with new employers and a way to offer a better service to our existing employers.” HTP have developed specific Profiles for employers and learners, targeted at each audience. For example, the employer Profile is designed to show understanding of employers’ needs and then show how Apprenticeships and HTP can help them. For the learner Profile, the language and message is adapted to make it suitable and attractive to them. Simon Attrill advises: “Keep it simple, think of the target audience that’s going to be looking at it. It’s about making sure that the information is clear, concise and promotes the organisation. The idea is that we need to give them enough information to say, ‘This is who we are, this is how we can help, this is why you should be using us. Contact us.’”
HTP are proactive in promoting Apprenticeship vacancies to employers, as both existing and potential clients. They see it as
“a great marketing tool from an employer’s point of view - and it’s a free process.” They therefore actively promote it as a part of their recruitment service. For instance, HTP have developed an Employer’s Guide to Apprenticeships, which has been updated to include information on Apprenticeship vacancies and how it will help employers find the right apprentice.
Meeting customers’ needs through Apprenticeship vacancies
HTP has a flexible and personal approach to the way they work with customers, both learners and employers. “Everything that we do, it’s about meeting the needs of the employer and meeting the needs of the individual.” Apprenticeship vacancies has fitted in with this approach and the processes that HTP already has in place to work with their customers. The system is used as the first point of contact with the learner, from which HTP collect the main information about the learner and can then contact them to understand more about them as a person, their needs and ambitions.
Applications received through Apprenticeship vacancies are integrated into HTP’s main system for tracking all applications. This includes those received from various sources, including direct referrals from supporting organisations where the learner may require additional help.
Apprenticeship vacancies allows the employer to be involved in recruitment as much or as little as they like. HTP show a copy of the vacancy text to employers before it goes live, to make sure it meets their needs. Employers can choose to be involved in the early screening stages or HTP can offer to do the initial screening processes on the employer’s behalf, using the information from the vacancies system.
Managing Apprenticeship vacancies
HTP have assigned a small number of staff the responsibility of updating and managing vacancies and applications on the Apprenticeships vacancies system. A compact team means that everyone involved is fully aware of what’s on the system and are able to keep track of the progress for each vacancy. HTP have found that having the right person to run and monitor the system is important, as it requires specific skills including good customer service, handling telephone enquiries and administrative skills. HTP have updated their policy and quality manual to take into consideration the new processes that Apprenticeship vacancies has brought into the organisation, to ensure that a consistent quality of service is always maintained.
The impact of Apprenticeship vacancies on HTP
Overall, HTP feel that Apprenticeship vacancies has improved the way they operate, allowing them to offer a more professional service to customers: “Although we have very strict processes and procedures internally, it’s allowed us to operate more efficiently and offer professional services to employers outside of our immediate local area. Where we can advertise a vacancy on their behalf, it’s easier to manage the processes.”
Apprenticeship vacancies gives the smaller provider a new avenue to expand their business. Previously, HTP relied on the strong relationship they had built with their local Connexions offices; now, in addition to this, HTP can use Apprenticeship vacancies to reach more potential learners across a wider area: “As we’ve become bigger as an organisation and therefore delivering in more and more geographical areas, we are able to offer positions that before we wouldn’t have been able to.”
(Also available as a PDF - 499kb)
Last Updated: 08/02/2012