This Case Study concentrates on one of our Employer Apprenticeships, Foyne Jones Recruitment Group Ltd
Background Information
This Case Study concentrates on one of our Employer Apprenticeships, Foyne Jones Recruitment Group Ltd. Launched by Peter Jones in 2003 the company has established itself as a true specialist offering Executive Search and Talent Attraction Services to the Builders Merchant, KBB and Construction Supplies Sectors.
This Case Study is designed to look at the impact on Foyne Jones Recruitment Group Ltd in relation to the introduction of the newly developed Recruitment Consultant Apprenticeship, of which one of their employees has enrolled on the Apprenticeship, serviced by the British Institute of Recruiters.
This Case Study will help identify how the inclusion of the Apprenticeship Programme to the Foyne Jones Recruitment Group Ltd, has helped improve the abilities, knowledge and skills of their employee for the business.
Section 1: About the Client
Foynes Jones, established in 2003. Peter was a young sales director for a high-profile builder’s merchant and decided he wanted to fill a gap in the recruitment market to supply staff within an industry and sector he knows and loves.
Peter Jones advises: “Since it’s launch in 2003 the company has established itself as a true specialist offering Executive Search and Talent Attraction Services to the Builders Merchant, KBB and Construction Supplies Sectors.”
What is Foyne Jones USP?
Peter Jones, Managing Director said: “Personality and Passion, I don’t believe there is another company that brings the personality, passion and understanding of the sector to the recruitment process.
“We are not a contingency agency, we have a more intimate level of relationship with clients working predominantly on retained and exclusive projects”.
Foynes Jones Consulting Limited have a number of Client testimonials available including:
- I’ve used Foyne Jones pretty much from the start. What I really like is that they are so flexible in the way they work – nothing is too much trouble, from hosting assessment days to out of hours meetings, the answer is always YES.
- Peter is from a builders merchant background so they obviously understand my business and I like the fact that they are so honest about their candidates. If they think someone needs moulding, they’ll tell me. I can work with that.
- I have lost count of the amount of staff that have come through the ranks from them and they seem to have a real knack for spotting raw talent. There are numerous examples of rough diamonds that have now progressed into senior management. I think together we make a great team.
Michael Feleppa, Sales and Operations Director said:
“My ongoing experience of working with Peter and his team is exceptional. I find him to be very engaging, dependable and high in integrity.
“They provide us with an incredible service that is second to none, and ever since our initial meeting, they quickly understood what we look for as a company and what we require for both skill set and attitude.
“They go above and beyond the call of duty and they have identified numerous people for our company successfully. Highly recommende”.
Jamie Harding, Commercial Director said:
“From the moment Peter walked into my office I knew we were going to have a special relationship, from our first meeting and during every meeting since he has always ensured tha
t he makes us feel like his only client.
“The research and time spent making sure that the whole team at Foyne Jones understand the needs and ethos of our company is incomparable to anything we have experienced before.
“If I could fault them in any way it would be to say that they have given me some extremely difficult decisions to make, I truly believe I could have hired 99% of the candidates sent to us.
“If you are looking to approach recruitment differently and take your company to the next level, Peter Jones is your man.”
Charlie Davison, Head of Sales said:
“Working in cooperation with Foyne Jones, we have obtained express permission to refer to their business, individuals within the business, logo’s, images and video content to assist with the production of this Case Study.”
Section 2: Their Challenge
Why did you decide you wanted to have your employee be part of the Apprenticeship Programme?
Peter Jones, Managing Director said:
“The sector we recruit for, struggles to attract employees from school leaver age in to the industry. There is a real shortage of up and coming talent in our sector, we have looked at our business and how we have struggled as to bring people in with existing skills, we found we were having to retrain them to meet our standards.
“Over the yea
rs we have had numerous individuals who joined our business with no experience but did move on to have successful careers with us at Foyne Jones and also within the recruitment industry.
“There hasn’t really been an ongoing development Programme for recruiters other than short courses. There were no other courses other than within a general sales course for example, my eldest son wanted to come and work for us but I wanted him to gain something from working here, I wanted him to achieve something that recognizes what he has done.
“He’s involvement on the course has been good and he has gained so much and is now completing projects that senior recruiters would be expected to complete”.
What was you expecting the course to deliver for your employee and your business?
Peter Jones, said:
“From my employee’s perspective, I wanted them to feel valued and be part of a development plan that they can take anywhere they want to and not just in our business.
“Being able to present the case, your argument and deliver is powerful, this is learning in a different way and it is very powerful.
“From an Employers perspective, I wanted a structure in place to be able to develop people and retain them within the business”.
Section 3: Your Solution
At the time that the learner started, the only available resolution at the time was the Level 2 or Level 3 Apprenticeship in Recruitment, this was a wonderful advancement for the Recruitment Industry as previously there was no Apprenticeship available specifically for the Recruitment Industry.
This resulted in the learner being able to study specific knowledge and understanding of processes for the Recruitment Industry, resulting in a formal qualification in the Recruitment Resourcing for the Level 2 or in Recruitment Practice for the Level 3.
In this instance and having completed an assessment with the learner, it was decided that the best option for the learner was a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Recruitment Practice at diploma level.
This is a more technically challenging course involving 9-Core Units and 3-Optional Units, in addition it also included the requirement to complete 6-written assignment papers; it is the combination of this approach that works to increase knowledge and understanding of the various subject matters covered within the programme.
All of which are designed to develop the skills needed to become an effective, efficient and productive Professional Recruitment Consultant.
More recently, we have now seen the introduction of the newly developed Level 2 and Level 3 Recruitment Apprenticeship Standards. These are now based more on teaching specific knowledge, skills and behaviours to become a recognised Recruitment Professional.
The new Standards are now more robust in requiring evidence of application of the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours learnt, within the learners very day work.
This is further evidenced through the production of a Recruitment Project that the learner will work on and participation in a Professional Discussion through an End Point Assessment.
This scheme is now delivered through a monthly face-to-face teaching and assessment meeting with the learner and employer, creating a triangulation of impact and responsibility between the provider, the learner and the employer.
Section 4: Results
How have your expectations been met?
Peter Jones, Managing Director added:
“A little too theoretic but I guess this is down to individual learners. Group sessions would be better for the learner experience, but again this is something I would like to be in personally as in my view bu
siness owners, thought leaders and influencers can add real value.
“I think it is a standard Programme that is not necessarily flexible. I certainly am not negative, otherwise I wouldn’t have put Harry on the course.
“Harry now understands the methodology of recruitment and has applied this within his role and the importance of following procedures and recording information correctly”.
Do you feel that the Apprenticeship experience has been positive, and would you recommend it?
I think it started with some areas of concern, the BIOR have a great Programme in place but the signup process isn’t as great as it could be.
When I looked in to this, my perspective was it was for a large business but now having someone gone through it, I know this is certainly not the case and feel that it is a programme good for all sizes of businesses.
I do recommend the course as it is a valuable course for all those up and coming stars that do not necessarily want to go to further education and this is a great way to help develop them and bring them in to our industry sector.
Would you consider using the Apprenticeship Programme again?
Yes, absolutely, overall, I think this has absolutely been a very positive experience for Harry and us as a business
Is there anything you would like to say or add about your experience as a learner on the Apprenticeship course?
I would say that the involvement of David Montague has increased the level of professionalism, and overnight made a huge improvement in communication between us and the BIOR.
Speaking to Harry Jones who enrolled on to the level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Recruitment Consultancy, I asked a number of questions below are his responses:
Why did you want to be part of the Apprenticeship?
I thought it was an exciting opportunity to learn and gain new skills in a sector I’ve known my whole life. It’s a family business 
run with passion and I wanted to begin my journey with them professionally
What were you expecting to achieve from the experience?
To be fair at the start I wasn’t completely sure, ideally, I wanted it to be a platform for me to learn the ins and outs of recruitment which would help me in my day to day work.
How has the course delivery met your expectations?
Yes, majorly I’ve learnt loads of new things which I didn’t know before I started the course.
How has the experience helped you develop new skills and knowledge?
I
t’s helped me develop new skills and knowledge by outlining practices and techniques used within the sector. These can be relevant to all aspects of the recruitment process from dealing with clients, sourcing candidates and even sales proposals.
How have you used these skills and knowledge in your work?
The things I’ve picked up on the course Have helped me in my work, they allow me to know what the best practice is when dealing with people and it also allows me to have confidence as I know what I’m doing as I can refer to the things I’ve learnt when I need clarity on certain things.
Would you recommend people to undertake an Apprenticeship Course?
100% yes, having the freedom to do something like this whilst working is fantastic as it all fits in with what you’re doing’. The best thing is being able to see on a daily basis the things you’re learning about on the course.
Would you start another Apprenticeship course?
I’m very open to it, I’m going travelling in September for six to nine months however afterwards going onto a more advanced program would seem the most logical step.
Is there anything you would like to say or add about your experience as a learner on the Apprenticeship course?
The help and support from all the people at the IOR especially David Montague are second to none. Always there for any help and support needed which can be relevant to the apprenticeship or just work and life in general so big thanks goes to them.
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