As we have been hearing in the news recently, youth unemployment levels have reached record highs with now more than 1 million young people out of work in the whole of the UK. This means that there is a significant pool of talent out there, all vying for limited job vacancies, looking for their first step on the career ladder. A lot of these young people have degrees and have not been able to get a job in their preferred subject. Others are talented individuals who could not afford university – we expect this group of individuals only to increase in the future, once the planned rise in university tuition fees is introduced.

What is the solution?

One solution which is increasing in popularity is with apprenticeship and graduate training schemes. Companies are currently having great difficulty attracting high quality staff at this time of austerity. Add to this the massive pool of talent and potential waiting to be discovered shows why these schemes are proving ever more popular. These schemes give companies the ability to develop and mould young people into the exact fit for their business, whilst potentially providing significant cost benefits over employing more experienced staff, a significant number of whom will already be in a job and reluctant to move at this time.

How can you ensure quality?

One major issue with apprenticeship and graduate schemes is how can you guarantee the quality of the people you are bringing onto these schemes? As mentioned earlier, there are now over 1 million young people unemployed in the UK. If this number continues to grow at the rate it currently is, how can you guarantee that you are selecting the best possible candidates to go forward onto your scheme? One way of ensuring that the right candidates are selected for the right role, is by using psychometric assessments to screen candidates before interview.

This is where MindMill can help!

MindMill have experience with helping companies roll out apprenticeship and graduate training programmes. MindMill’s on-line psychometric assessment system allows companies to test large volumes of candidates over the internet and also receive instant results as well as instantly rank the candidates most suited. MindMill continue to have a very high success rate in selecting the right candidates for these schemes, we are able to identify those candidates with the greatest amount of potential, who can process information quickly and effectively, indicating the candidates ability to train in a new environment.

If you require any more information on MindMill’s Assessment System, or Case Studies on recent successes MindMill have had with Apprenticeship and Graduate Training Schemes, please contact us at info@mindmill.co.uk.

MindMill have added a number of new report options into the MindMill Assessment System. Whether you are selecting or developing employees, MindMill have a range of new reports to provide you with all the information you need to ensure you are making the most informed and objective decisions to increase the maximum potential of your organisation. Today, we are focussing on MindMill’s Leadership report.

The MindMill Leadership report is derived from the current, most prominent literature and research on leadership theory. Leadership is seen as set of traits that reveal themselves in the individual leader and manager operating in a dynamic and responsive way in contexts which are either fluid or structured. This is set against whether the individual manager and leader expresses a preferred style in terms of the widely recognised distinction between charismatic or transformational as opposed to transactional model of leadership.

The MindMill Leadership report will provide you with an indication of your leadership potential, and insights into your personal attributes and qualities in the context of managing and leading. The information in this report is designed to help you reflect upon your management and leadership qualities, and highlight both your potential strengths as well as areas that you may wish to develop.

TRANSFORMATIONAL vs TRANSACTIONAL

Current research perspectives on leadership emphasizes transformational models of leadership as distinct from transactional models of leadership. Transactional leaders seek to maintain the status quo by reinforcing subordinates’ efforts and commitment with inducement and reward. Transformational leaders, on the other hand, seek to change the status quo by making others see the work as meaningful and something to which it is worthwhile giving commitment, in order to mobilize subordinates’ energies.

TRANSACTIONAL vs. TRANSFORMATIONAL / FLUID vs. STRUCTURE

As well as having an overall orientation to be either transformational or transactional in leadership style, leadership traits will tend to be more activated in terms of whether the context of the work tasks are structured, or fluid and dynamic. The relationship of personality with charismatic or tansformational and transactional leadership may differ depending on the context in which these leadership styles can be conceived as viable, trait-relevant responses. Transformational leadership is more likely to emerge in environments characterized by a high degree of challenge and great opportunities for change, ie., dynamic environments. Transactional leadership is most likely to appear in more routine, stable environments where goals and structures are clear and/or where individuals work under more formal guidelines. Such leadership aims to keep the organization running smoothly and efficiently by focusing on control by compliance to rules and maintaining stability within the organization rather than promoting change.

To find more information on MindMill’s Leadership report, or other features in MindMill’s Assessment System Version 4.5, please contact us.