Find out how our trainee placements can help you find, train and hang on to the region's best talent.
Following the launch of our new Skills Programme for the coming year, we'll be opening up a number of work-based training opportunities for people new to the industry and established professionals who need help to move up a level, all under the banner of 'Plug In'.
We're looking for companies to talk to us now about taking on trainees. For those companies that do, there's a challenge inherent in this:
- Keeping an open mind about new talent, or where new staff or crew come from. Have you ever worried you've mainly hired carbon copies of yourself into your business?
- Being able to impart expertise directly. Have you got the time and capacity to check that the trainee is learning what they need? Are you able to provide hands-on guidance and instruction? Or did you assume it happens through osmosis?
- Looking beyond your short-term needs. You may well need an extra pair of hands skilled in a certain area right now, but then it's hard to describe that as a trainee role - if you really need an individual who can do a particular thing, that sounds more like a job. Try and look past that: what are the core attributes in staff you struggle to find, and how can you really identify drive and potential?
This can be a big commitment. But if your company is up to working with us on these bigger questions, the benefits can be huge:
- Trainees bring something new to the mix. Whether that's a new specialism, a different insight, or the right idea at the right time.
- Trainees add capacity. Which doesn't mean they're just taking up the slack on menial tasks: as their skill and responsibility grows, staff further up the line may for example find they have time and resources for those projects that are important, but not as urgent as the company bread & butter.
- You can train someone exactly the way you want them. While less experienced individuals need more help to develop, the benefit is that you can help them adopt the ways of working and skillsets that complement your business, and spend less time working against 'bad habits'.
But don't just take our word for it:
“We’ve found the placement programme to be an excellent source of talent for digital skills and has played a crucial role in training and preparing that talent for the workplace. We’ve found our trainee to be an enthusiastic and active participant in the digital community, both locally and online, and have been so impressed with the quality of his work that we have nominated him for awards for his design” Manchester based web company
“The duration of the placement was an ideal timescale for us to be able to assess our trainee's capabilities on 'real work' and also their on going attitude and passion for the job. The trainee more than exceeded our expectations and the packed schedule during their placement acted like a 'crash course' in VFX so they were ready and raring to tackle our on-going schedule of client work.” Warrington CGI company
Above all else, you'll be placing a valued investment in the creative and digital workforce in the North West. There's many interpretations of what the word 'Trainee' means, and it's open to debate - so please feel free to add your comments. Or find out more about Plug In and how to get involved here.
