ESFA to launch new apprenticeship vacancy tool for employers

A new tool to let employers directly post apprenticeship vacancies is being launched by the Education and Skills Agency.

From this month, levy paying employers with an apprenticeship service account will find a ‘recruitment’ link on their account homepage, which will give direct access to the ‘recruit an apprentice’ tool.

The service will let employers create and post apprenticeship vacancies and manage any applications they receive, and aims to have all vacancies either posted or returned for amendments within 24 hours of them being submitted.

The Apprenticeships 2020 Vision guidance first laid out plans for the tool, but initially intended for it to be launched “by February 2016”.

It said: “We already offer ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ as a free online recruitment tool for employers to advertise for and fill their apprenticeship vacancies and for potential apprentices to look for and apply for opportunities.

“We are developing this further so that by February 2016 employers will be able to post their own vacancies on the system, working with education and training providers where they want to.”

However, in order to use the tool, employers must already have a relationship with a training provider.

The ESFA blog said this was because “user research” with potential candidates had shown that “individuals want to see which training provider will be delivering the apprenticeship”.

In order to post a vacancy, employers are “required to have a relationship with a training provider”.

Once submitted, vacancies will be “quality checked within 24 hours and are either posted, or returned for amendments and review”.

The recruitment tool comes on the heels of the ESFA’s new employer review feature.

The new Trip Advisor-style system allows employers to rank training providers and leave feedback on their strengths and weaknesses.

Employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy and do not have an account on the apprenticeship service can still post their vacancies on Recruit an apprentice, either with the support of their training provider or by contacting the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600.