This is a photo of Hayley Boakes at Johnston Sweepers in Sittingbourne.  We are proud to say that Hayley has recently returned from Uganda teaching children. 

Hayley said “I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and it feels good to know that I have helped with the well-being and teaching of children (both living at Kampala Children’s Centre and those in the community)”.

The EDF Ltd helped to sponsor Hayley for her trip.  She took with her educational materials for the school, clothing and she also made a donation to Campala Children’s Centre.

Well done Hayley!

Vacancy Description

PVL require an apprentice to learn the range of electronic, pneumatic and hydraulic switch equipment used for industrial applications, to assist in the design and build configuration of various switching arrangements also to test the build configurations for the customer applications.  Additionally to determine from the customer their requirements using the telephone and other communication methods.  This opportunity could lead to a Technical Sales Support Role.  The ideal candidate will be smart, have good communication skills and be a good team player.

 NVQ training will be given in company and a technical certificate will be delivered by day release to a local college.  The apprenticeship will have an expected duration of 2-4 years.

 Qualifications required

GCSE or equivalent in Maths, English and Science with grades D-B.

Apprentice Fitters to carry out mechanical repairs to aircraft seats, galley carts and other non-electrical aircraft interior components.

 Duties to include:  To ensure familiarity with all relevant Inspection Procedures.  From time to time, this position may be required to carry out repairs onboard aircraft.  Responsibility for your own health and safety and for that of your colleagues as set out in the Health and Safety Policy.

Candidates should have:  GCSE’s to include Maths, Science and English to grades C to A.  A technical GCSE would also be valuable.

Driving capability is useful.

 You can expect to earn £150 per week.

The hours of work are TBA

Do you use Facebook?  If so you can get weekly updates from us via your Facebook page.  Simply search for The Employee Development Forum Ltd and click Like and we can then keep you informed of what is going on in the world of apprenticeships and The EDF Ltd.

Please feel free to post on our Wall and send us any suggestions of information you would like to see on our Facebook page.

We would like to know more about you and your Apprenticeship. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey. This survey will help us understand what doing an Apprenticeship means to you and how it is helping you achieve your future goals. The results will be used to help the National Apprenticeship Service understand the views of Apprentices better and help them communicate the most important elements of Apprenticeships to those currently considering starting an Apprenticeship.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NASapprenticesurvey

We advertise our new Apprenticeship opportunities with employers on the national Apprenticeship website. This is a free service we offer to employers, and there are hundreds of opportunities advertised.

If there isn’t an Apprenticeship vacancy that you are interested in at present you can register your details and save your favourite search using a button on your home page.

When we post a new vacancy, if it matches your search you will be sent either an SMS text message of an email (you choose which you would prefer).  You can then go online to apply for the position.

Candidates can register here <https://apprenticeshipvacancymatchingservice.lsc.gov.uk/navms/forms/candidate/PreRegisterCandidate.aspx>  to search and apply for vacancies, or to set up an alert once you have registered.

The European Social Fund (ESF) will provide up to 1,025 Apprenticeship Grants to employers in the South East to take on unemployed apprentices aged 16 – 24 years.  The grant is particularly to support small and medium sized employers in the private and third sectors employing no more than 250 full time equivalent staff.  The value of the Grant will be £1,500 and is available now until October 2010.

Recently, as part of our service package we have been offering our customers an in-depth Training Needs Analysis (TNA) – free of charge.

This exercise involves a comprehensive examination of areas of knowledge and skills through the whole organisation, with the objective of determining the skills which are currently there and whether they need improving, and those which the company may well need, either in the immediate future or at some later time. In today’s ultra-competitive business environment, making sure your organisation is up to speed is more important than ever before.

Client companies who have taken up this service have found it very useful. TNAs have highlighted issues in management, HR, marketing, finance and of course various aspects of training and development.

Most of these issues are in areas where we are able to help – we have expertise in a wide range of business skills; if not, we can signpost companies to other agencies with the necessary specialist services.

If you would like to access this service or get more information about it, please give us a call.

Des is known to many of you as one of our busy and very capable Assessors. He is working steadily towards attaining his Master’s Degree and his Msc Learning Contract has been approved by the University of Portsmouth.

The first unit, relating to Learning Management, comprised of an essay submitted after attending a series of lectures at the University of Portsmouth. Des has already passed this unit.

He is currently working on a succession of units relating to research into aspects of work based learning (WBL).

The second unit is entitled “Quantitative and Qualitative Survey Techniques”. The learning outcome objective of this unit is to assist a training provider, specifically The EDF, to survey employers through questions designed to determine the ‘added value’ which candidates bring to the company they work for by achieving a work-based qualification in an engineering related subject.

The next unit is entitled “Standards and Standardisation in  Competence Based Qualifications”. Research in this unit arises from Des’ own experience in training candidates to gain the then Farriers Training Agency forging certificate, (NPTC/City and Guilds) enabling them to progress to an apprenticeship as a farrier. Des held the opinion that the standards applied in the test pieces, which the candidates were required to produce, were ambiguous and open to too much interpretation. He still believes that although improvements have been made, they don’t go far enough: the research in this unit is intended to address these issues.

Fourth unit: “E-portfolio-based NVQs – the fiscal advantages for private training providers”. Des intends to determine the cost effectiveness or otherwise of this online method of evidence-gathering.

Next unit title: “Using NVQs to demonstrate competence in Higher Education programmes”. Here the research is intended to examine the scope and impact of EU initiatives relating to requirements for competence-based qualifications for a range of engineers, who may find themselves working in a ‘hands-on enviroment’ and the possibilty of the NVQ, becoming a component of certain HNCs, HNDs or degrees, where candidates have not, followed the useual apprenticeship programme routes.

The other unit is “Reflective review of Learning”, which will examine the impact of the research programme on Des’ own work.

Des reckons to have submitted all units by March 2011: we expect he will apply himself to the project with his usual high levels of dedication and commitment.

The exams will soon be over and the summer holiday beginning and it’s time to start planning what you want to do with your career. Around this time of year our call volumes start increasing as we get more and more calls from parents and students asking for more information on what they can do to get an apprenticeship.
Well we would like to take this opportunity to give you are brief overview of what we do at The EDF to ensure that our candidates get the best possible start to their career.

The application
Hopefully if you are reading this you have already decided that an apprenticeship in engineering is the career path for you so initially we ask that you complete one of our application forms which can be downloaded from here. When you are completing this think about which areas of engineering interest you the most and try to write a little detail as to why.
Don’t just focus on one area though. If you are interested in becoming an electrical installer consider the wider picture. Think about other areas of electrical engineering such as electrical maintenance and electrical manufacturing.
Don’t forget to complete all boxes fully. Too many times we receive application forms that are missing vital information such as phone numbers and post codes. A well written application form is the first step to obtaining that perfect job. A potential employer will put a lot of consideration into who they chose for interview on just your application form so make it clear and understandable. Sell yourself.

The interview
If you are lucky enough to be chosen for an interview start preparing straight away. Decide what you are going to wear. Make it smart and clean. Remember first impressions really do count. Research the company. Look at their website and prepare a couple of questions. If you have certificates take them with you in a folder. A potential employer may ask to see them. Here you will find a list of potential questions you may be asked; so read them and be prepared.
When you arrive for the interview walk tall and be confident. Look directly at the interviewer, speak clearly and confidently. If you are asked a question which you don’t know the answer to, tell them you are unsure of the answer, take a moment to think about it and then give them your answer. Don’t fidget. Sell yourself.

The test
After your interview is over you will be contacted by either us or the employer to say that you have or haven’t been accepted for the next phase of the interview process. If you have been unsuccessful don’t be disheartened. Ask for feedback and use it to learn and progress.
If on the other hand you have been accepted the next step is the test. This is called a Selectahead Test and its run either at our office or at the office of the employers. Occasionally employers will ask the candidates to sit the test straight after their interview. This will speed things up and allow the employer to make a decision much more quickly.

The test covers seven areas; Communication – The content of this area relates directly to Keyskills Communication up to Level 2 and the ability of a candidate to cope with Keyskills Testing. Space Relationships – Measures the ability to visualize two dimensional shapes which have been rotated or mirror imaged. Understanding Electrical Principles – Measures the ability to understand electrical and electronic principles of voltage and current, designed specifically for electrical career routes. Understanding The Principles of Measurement – Measures the ability to understand the principles measurement, designed specifically for careers in engineering manufacture. Mechanical Reasoning – Measures the ability to understand basic mechanical principles of motion, direction and applied forces in an engineering context. Information Technology – The content of this are relates directly to Keyskills Information Technology up to Level 2. Numerical Reasoning – The content of this area relates directly to Keyskills Application of Number up to Level 2 and the ability of a candidate to cope with Keyskills Testing.
The results of the test will be sent to you in the post a week or so after. All results will also be sent to the employer who will then make an informed decision based on your interview, any GCSE grades attained and your Selectahead results.

The second interview
Occasionally you may be asked back for a second interview. This may be so that someone else within the company can speak to you or maybe the company has their own internal testing system which they wish you to complete. Either way do not be put off by this. Just remember how you were on the first interview and do the same again. To be asked back for a second interview is a valuable experience.

The offer
If successful you may be informed one of several ways. Either by a phone call from the employer, or a phone call from us, followed up by a letter. Whichever way it happens you should be pleased with yourself. You are now on the first rung of the apprenticeship ladder and well on the way to achieving your goal.

The decline
If you are unlucky enough to be declined don’t lose heart. It will happen to everyone at some point in their career. See it as a learning experience. Ask for feedback as to why you were declined and if it’s something you can improve on; learn, adapt and move on to the next vacancy.

A specific comment for those that want to become electricians
Have you thought about something else that involves electrical engineering? Well maybe you could. Currently there are more applications than vacancy opportunities for those that want to be electrical installation engineers.
However don’t despair; there are other areas that include many aspects of electrical engineering. These are electrical assembly, electrical maintenance, electrical manufacturing, electrical testing, building management systems etc.