Find your own employer and speed up your apprenticeship application process

Businesses like hiring people who show initiative, and that’s why we encourage our applicants to approach employers to see if they would like to hire a professional candidate like yourself! We’ll even reward your hard work with £100 worth of vouchers.

Interested? We’ve created some simple steps below to help you along in finding your perfect employer.

1. Find an employer

You’re probably wondering where to start, so here are a few tips:

Make the most of your contacts

Do you have a family member or friend’s parent you’d love to work for? If yes, get in touch with them and find out if they would be interested in taking you on.

Make your part-time job or internship permanent

Your part-time job or internship could open up more doors for you. Why not talk to them about making your contract with them permanent? If you need any help talking over the details with your employer, don't forget, we're always here to help!

Research local companies

Are there any local businesses you know that would benefit from a tech apprentice? Why not get in touch with them by phone or email to find out.

Network

You could stumble across a company director or recruiter anywhere, serving them coffee or even at the checkout till. So be bold, take the opportunity to introduce yourself and why not ask them for a business card so you can get in touch to discuss further.

P.S. You may feel slightly awkward and a little bit out of your comfort zone, but remember, employers will be impressed with your initiative and also, if you don’t ask – you don’t get!

2. What do I say?

Now is your chance to sell yourself and an apprenticeship. Make sure you read up on the company and mention your interest in the industry you're trying to work in.

Make sure you also talk about how an apprenticeship will benefit them:

• Funding – the programme is government funded, meaning that by taking on an apprentice not only could the employer develop their workforce, but they could also tap into available funding by hiring you.
• Reduced costs – taking on an apprenticeship will allow them to cut costs, as they don’t have to invest large sums of money training new employees.
• Constantly growing skills – our apprenticeship programmes combine high-quality training with real-world experience, enabling employers to build the skills they need to match their business needs.
• Build local talent – employers can build and retain local talent (like you) by up-skilling them through high-quality training relevant to the job role.
• It’s a flexible programme – There is a step-off point after 12 to 14 months if our apprenticeship programme isn’t right for you or your employer.

If they need any more convincing, we’ve worked with over 1,500 employers from fun and funky local agencies to huge corporations to help energise their workforce. We have also featured on Sky News, BBC South, BBC Birmingham and London Live, which will help them see that apprenticeships are a pretty big deal.

So the question really is, why haven’t they already decided to take on apprentice?!

3. I’ve found my employer – now what?

Once you’ve found your employer, all you need to do is to let us know. We’ll take it from here by getting in touch with them to help get you started on your apprenticeship journey. And to reward you for all your hard work, we will give you £100 in vouchers – win-win!

To secure this £100 voucher offer:

• The employer must pass all QA health and safety checks.
• The amount is payable after completing six weeks of the apprenticeship programme.
• The job you find can't be a vacancy that QA itself has sourced.
• Your apprenticeships training must be delivered by QA.
• This offer only applies if the employer is a new customer of QA.
• An apprentice cannot claim the offer for progressing onto a higher level apprenticeship after they finish their current apprenticeship with the same employer.

You can let us know how you get on by getting in contact with us on 0345 074 7825 or email apprenticeships@qa.com.