Accelerate© for Employers

Accelerate© is a new way of looking at apprentice recruitment and training which puts the needs of you and the candidate first. Accelerate© means that you can recruit the most suitable candidates as apprentices, not just those who are eligible for Government funding.

Because it is designed for a much wider range of vacancies, Accelerate© enables you to fully integrate apprenticeships with your recruitment and staff development processes. From entry level administrators to graduate apprentices, from school leavers to more experienced candidates, Accelerate© is about bringing together recruitment and training to deliver value for your organisation.

Best of all, the net cost to you is usually £0 and is rarely more than £500. This is because the small weekly fee that we charge for apprentices aged 19 and over can be built in to the overall cost of employing your apprentice.

"Alan Sugar isn't concerned about the age or prior qualifications of his apprentices – he just wants the best. Accelerate© applies the same philosophy to your business."

How does it work?

• A member of our recruitment team visits you to discuss your needs, take a detailed job description and agree objectives.
• We will then send you a shortlist of candidates, all of whom have been interviewed by us, have attended one of our assessment days and match the attributes you have specified for the role. Some may have attended one of our pre-employment courses that cover the key competencies you are looking for - customer service skills, self-organisation and time management for example.
• We arrange interviews with any candidates that you wish to see.
• Once in work, the candidate will receive approximately 12 months training from Damar to improve and assess their competence in their new job. This will lead to a recognised qualification – often an apprenticeship or advanced apprenticeship or, for more senior staff or some graduates, a CMI management qualification.

How much does it cost?

This is a co-investment model, with the cost being shared between the Government and the employer. Because your investment includes some non-cash elements such as management time and release for training, we structure the cash cost so that the overall cost of recruitment, training and salary for your new member of staff is usually no more than £500 higher than the salary that you had in mind for the post in the first year.

Fees are spread evenly over the first 10 months of employment. If the employee leaves in the first four weeks you can have a replacement without having to pay the first instalment again.

There is no cost at all for apprentices who are aged 16, 17 or 18 when they start. For older apprentices fees start from as little as £15 per week plus VAT.

Apprentices' salaries vary, but generally take into account the investment that is being made in their development.

What types of vacancy does Damar handle?

It is worth considering Accelerate© for all vacancies for office and customer service staff with a starting salary of up to £20,000 pa. Accelerate© works well for team leading and some management positions.

Accelerate© is also designed for fast track positions where you are looking to recruit, say, a graduate and progress them rapidly to a management role.

Why is it better than using a recruitment agency?

• The Accelerate© model means that the net cash outlay for your organisation is rarely more than £500. Recruitment and about a year’s training form part of the service.
• We know our candidates. By the time they start with you they will have:
  • Attended an assessment day at Damar
  • Been interviewed by us and scored against a range of attributes.
  • Completed a detailed initial assessment covering things like problem solving, IT skills, learning style, maths and English.
  • (In many cases) completed a pre-apprenticeship course with Damar.
• We know your organisation. Because our recruitment and training teams work so closely with you (training visits are usually every three weeks) we get to know your needs inside out.
• Recruitment agencies usually charge an up front fee. By contrast, our costs are spread over ten months.
• Out recruitment team stays in close touch with you, particularly over the first few weeks of the apprenticeship and we remain on hand to support you throughout the programme.
• Tailored 1:1 training and assessment support from Damar are designed to ensure that the apprentice is as successful as possible in their new role.

We deal with our own recruitment, why is this better?

• Finding your own candidates is resource hungry and leaves you with less time to focus on your business.
• Damar candidates come to us because they want a job and training – they are motivated to learn as well as earn.
• We are able to reach a huge range of candidates through multiple channels.
• Accelerate© automatically integrates recruitment with training, giving you the best possible chance of success with your new member of staff.

We have our own training already

• That's great. With Accelerate© you can also offer staff access to nationally recognised qualifications.
• We can ensure that the apprenticeship complements rather than duplicates existing training and that in-house training is being applied by your new employee in their job.