Following on from last week's blog, it was great to see some dealers and manufacturers from our sector, promoting via social media, what they have been up to as part of National Apprenticeship Week this week.

I noticed posts by Peacock and Binnington, Balmers GM, Thurlow Nunn Standen and Allett Mowers all talking about the scheme on Twitter - and I'm sure there will have been others that I missed.

Peacock and Binnington in particular, seemed to truly embrace the week, posting a series of videos interviewing their apprentices who were offering insights into what they get up to as part of their employment with the dealership.

The youngsters featured were all chatting about what they gained from doing an apprenticeship, what they enjoyed, their roles and where they hoped they would find themselves in their careers in five or ten years' time - all really positive stuff. What impressed me the most about the interviewees was that it came across in spades that they possessed a genuine belief in, and enthusiasm for, what they are doing. It seems like Peacock and Binnington have hit on some real finds here with their recruits.

It's arguable though, that even if an employer were to find some youngsters whose skills might not be quite there yet, it's that enthusiasm to learn which is of the utmost importance.

It brought to mind that adage which I recall my old school P.E teacher impressing upon us, that attitude is way more important than ability. Now to be fair, in sport I'd argue that's not entirely factual - I was still undeniably appalling at football however much I ran up and down the field with gusto! However in the context of a business taking on a new recruit, it's one of those sayings that can genuinely hold true.

It is therefore, so disappointing when you hear dealers talk about the bad experiences they've faced when they've taken on people, who turn out to posses completely the wrong attitude. A dealer who commented on this Weekly Update last Friday told us, "...honestly I can’t believe the general attitude deficiency for interest in the job." They went on to recount an anecdote where they had asked one of their apprentices if they needed some help in knowing how a well-used machine requires cleaning, only to be answered with "I’m not a valeter"! 

I mean, that's simply lacking in basic civility! 

Taking on a new apprentice, or indeed a new employee of any kind, must be one of the most stressful processes a small business can go through. That punt which you have to take based around at best a couple of chats and a C.V, is a real leap of faith. As the dealer who commented last week said, in the future perhaps they should  "..hire people more on attitude rather than skill?"

And I do believe that's what HR experts would recommend that you do. In the face-off between attitude vs aptitude, it's the former which wins out.

I was reading this article, which is well worth 5 minutes of your time today, by the CEO of a HR specialist company, very much arguing that employers should be looking at individuals with an enthusiastic willingness to learn, rather than simply being able to tick matching skills off a list.

Of course if a business is to go down that route of employing on attitude rather than skills, that will require a greater dedication of your time initially, bringing people up to speed. The argument is of course, that this will pay off in the long run.

In a dream scenario, you'd be faced with a choice of candidates across your desk who show an excitement at joining your company as well as desire to learn new things  - plus also possesing a good base of skill sets. If that's something you've experienced, I think you can count yourself very lucky!

However, most would probably agree that's not what's happening in the real world.

So perhaps if next time you at least have a choice between someone who seems to have the skills up against someone who shows an encouraging attitude - perhaps it should be attitude which is the deciding factor?