When Brendan McConnal approached UMR Engines in May 2014 looking for an apprenticeship as an automotive mechanic he was uncertain what sort of response he would receive.
The 27 year old had no previous experience in the automotive industry but had always enjoyed working on cars. In his previous job he had worked as a builder’s labourer on local housing developments.
Brendan was fortunate though that UMR Engines owner Graeme Norup was familiar with the Harrison Online Career Assessment resource available on the Apprenticeship Central website. The resource connects apprentices and employers and compares over 175 job related traits in over 800 occupations.
Apprenticeship Central is an initiative of BUSY At Work and is the only job search site dedicated to apprenticeships in Australia, allowing users to not only search but match jobseekers with employers, and employers with jobseekers.
Graeme Norup said while UMR Engines operated a successful full service automotive mechanics business in South East Queensland, managing the recruitment of new staff was always time consuming and costly.
“We have found in the past that even the ‘right looking’ person wasn’t always the right fit.
We felt it was important to look beyond a candidate’s existing skill set and experience to identify what core qualities the applicant possessed that suited a motor mechanics position.”
“We were well aware of BUSY At Work’s Apprenticeship Central website so we had Brendan complete the Harrison Online Career Assessment as part of the interview process.”
“The test confirmed that Brendan had the right aptitude to meet the challenges of an apprenticeship and gave us the confidence we needed to give him a go,” Graeme said.
Now several months into his apprenticeship Brendan’s attitude and willingness to learn have continued to impress Graeme.
“He’s very interested and keen to learn. That’s the difference between someone suited to the job and someone who just wants to have a job.”
‘When we are looking at taking on another apprentice I’ll certainly be using the Harrison Online Career Assessment tool again and going from there,” Graeme said.
Paul Miles, CEO BUSY At Work said the Harrison Online Career Assessment was a great tool to help employers select the right apprentice or trainee for their business.
“The results are very accurate and it helps employers take the guesswork out of the equation. Employers like UMR Engines can feel more confident that they have chosen the best applicant who has the right attitude and interests for the job,” Mr Miles said.
For further information go to www.apprenticeshipcentral.com.au
