Trade Supplier Apprenticeship attracts new talent to merchanting
By Richard Ellithorne, BMF Membership Services Director
17 July 2018
I
f you are looking to bring new talent into your business the new
TradeSupplier Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard could not have come at a better
time.
This is an apprenticeship that has been written by BMF members, in
conjunction with members of the Electrical Distributors Association,
specifically to meet the needs of our industry. It covers both
warehouse and counter training to give apprentices a broader base of
skills and knowledge. Its main aim is to introduce new recruits to
merchanting, but it’s also a valuable resource to upskill existing
employees at an early stage of their career.
Trade Supplier is a comprehensive 12-15 month training programme that
looks at all operational and departmental areas of the merchant
business. It is delivered onsite in the workplace, which ensures
appropriate training for individual organisations, and is assessed by a
third party ensuring robust quality control.
Richard Ellithorne, Member Services Director of the BMF, says the new
apprenticeship standard will help merchants promote the industry amongst
a wider range of high calibre candidates.
“Historically the merchant industry has lagged behind other industries
in promoting career opportunities for new entrants and we are looking to
change that,” said Richard. “The BMF exhibited at a number of national
and regional events this Spring attended by large numbers of school and
college leavers, their careers advisers and their parents. We are
making it clear that merchanting offers a wide range of careers and the
Trade Supplier Apprenticeship is a great stepping stone to learn the
business basics which will enable them to progress quickly up their
chosen career ladder, whether that is within branch management or in
other areas such as finance, HR or health & safety.”
The
Trade Supplier Apprenticeship covers:
- Overview of the builders’ merchanting sector and their organisation’s role within it
- How goods and services flow between manufacturer/supplier and the merchant’s customer
- Recognising the products, services and language used by their customers
- Serving customers and understanding their needs
- Taking orders and deliveries
- Communicating confidently with internal and external customers
- Effective listening and identifying specialist customer needs
The new apprenticeship is available through
BMF Apprenticeship Plus, a
comprehensive service that can handle everything from the recruitment of
apprentices, to contracting with the most appropriate training provider
and managing the apprenticeship. Working with BMF Apprenticeship Plus
means that your HR resources are not tied up in administration which
makes the logistics of the whole process simple. We can even undertake
complex levy administration on behalf of larger members or employ
apprentices on behalf of non-levy payers.
BMF Apprenticeships Plus Operations Manager, Carmen Daley, who is
responsible for recruiting apprentices on the merchants’ behalf has
found the new apprenticeship standard generating a lot of new interest.
“As well as giving merchants a tool to introduce new talent, we are
also finding that Trade Supplier is attracting candidates (and their
parents!) who might not previously have considered the industry. The
formalisation of an entry level qualification and its assessment by a
third party is very appealing to them,” said Carmen.
To find out more about
BMF Apprenticeship Plus and the Trade Supplier Apprenticeship Standard, please contact Carmen Daley on 07496 370224 or
[email protected]
This article appeared in the June 2018 edition of Professional Builders’ Merchant (PBM) in the Training Zone