B&Q Guide

MANAGER’S GUIDE TO APPRENTICESHIP RECRUITMENT

CONTENTS 05 Welcome 06 What are the business benefits? 08 Apprenticeship Recruitment Process 10 Interviewing apprentices – top tips 12 Your year at a glance 14 Roles and responsibilities 16 Retailer Level 2 Apprenticeship 18 FAQs 2

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Welcome Welcome to B&Q’s apprenticeship programme. We believe in supporting our people, and our recruited apprenticeship programme has been designed specifically with our customer advisors in mind. The Retailer Level 2 programme provides a structured learning journey, meaning our apprentices can put their new knowledge, skills and behaviours into practice across all departments whilst working in our stores. 4

“Apprenticeships are an effective “I am really proud of what we way to invest in our colleagues. have achieved so far with the They offer a fabulous opportunity apprenticeship programme. I have for an individual to train, develop heard some amazing stories of and grow; learning about their what people have achieved through role and how they can be at their the programme. It is fantastic we best. At B&Q, we believe in helping are now able to add apprenticeship people in their career and this is recruitment to our offering one of the ways to do this. Our providing people with another colleagues also gain a recognised avenue into a career within B&Q.” qualification as well as life skills.” Paul Crisp Jo Vincent Retail and Property Director Colleague Capability & Apprenticeship Manager What is an Apprenticeship? Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes that provide the skills needed to succeed in our business. They are relevant to specific roles and designed to meet our business needs. That means your team can put their skills into practise daily at work, while also gaining a nationally recognised apprenticeship. In England, apprentices will work towards completing their End-point Assessment (EPA), undertaken at the end of the course by an independent End-point Assessor. This guide will provide you with all of the information you need to understand more about the recruitment process to hire an apprentice and how they could benefit your team and the business. 5

What are the business benefits? Grow your 79% of colleagues Develop your talent pool for are still in the team’s knowledge the future business a year to become after achieving experts Enhanced 14% of achievers 78% of employers employer brand have progressed to said apprenticeships and reputation improved employee their next level of apprenticeship productivity 54% of achievers Greater job Stand out were promoted satisfaction against and motivation our competitors Increased £126,174 saving Enhance customer profitability on improved experience and sickness rates satisfaction 6

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Apprentice Recruitment Process 1 2 3 Store chooses to UM registers Lifetime receives use Apprenticeship vacancy on vacancy, contacts Recruitment to fill www.bandqap- UM to confirm and prenticeships.co.uk vacancy sending it books in coffee to Lifetime and chats 11 10 9 Lifetime Store enters details UM invites contacts store and on ICIMS and successful apprentice to book candidate to store confirms start date to collect personal in induction for with Lifetime information, after week 4 uniform details and 12 confirm start date Lifetime 13 checks in with apprentice and Lifetime Learning UM between Coach completes weeks 2 and 3 induction onto the Retailer Level 2 Apprenticeship programme 8

Store support call booked with B&Q L&D team 4 5 6 Vacancy Lifetime reviews Lifetime arranges advertised candidates and coffee and chats conducts telephone with shortlisted candidates and interviews to confirms dates assess eligibility and suitability with UM 8 7 Lifetime contacts UM has coffee and successful and chat, decision and unsuccessful feedback provided candidates to Lifetime within 48 hours 14 Here if you need us at learninganddevelopment@b-and-q.co.uk Learner completes programme, progression discussion takes place 9

Interviewing Apprentices – Top tips This may be the candidates’ first job, or even first interview. Put them at ease as much as possible Be open-minded. Skills and knowledge can be taught but the right attitude and willingness to learn can’t and are really important Candidates do not require previous experience, only a can-do approach is needed Interview Feedback and Guidance Lifetime need clear and detailed feedback so they have a clear idea of what qualities you are looking for in an apprentice Please provide specific examples and avoid generalisations Providing detailed feedback will support Lifetime in placing suitable candidates for you and helps the candidate improve their approach for further interviews Please ensure you provide feedback to your Lifetime Recruitment Coordinator within 48 hours of the interview taking place 10

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Your year at a glance example weeks 1 - 2 = Quarterly check in’s and PAL welcome & induction weeks 3 - 8 weeks 9 - 14 checkouts & décor / returns desk flooring and tiling weeks weeks weeks 29 - 34 23 - 28 15 - 22 TradePoint building hardware weeks weeks 43 - 50 35 - 42 showrooms outdoor & seasonal weeks 51 - 52 End Point Assessment Mocks Your year at a glance/15.09.20/RC/V2©B&Q ltd 2020. All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be copied, displayed, 12distributed or transmitted in any media except with the written permission of B&Q ltd.

Your training checklist example Welcome to B&Q - 2 weeks q B&Q induction - This is where you’ll q Lifetime introduction - A chance to meet your complete all your mandatory B&Q Lifetime Regional Trainer and understand how your training and be introduced to your independent learning and visits will be planned, new store and colleagues. including functional skills sessions if necessary. Checkouts and returns desk - 6 weeks q Click and collect. q .COM+. q Hub deliveries. q Front end. q Store deliveries. q DCA (digital colleague app). q Challenge 25. Décor - 3 weeks / Flooring and tiling - 3 weeks q Retail excellence. q Merchandising; planograms & bay resets. q MEWP (mobile elevated q Stock excellence. q Paint desk and Valspar mixing. work platform) & PPT q Stock control. q Paternoster - if required. (power pallet truck) - if required. Hardware - 8 weeks q Retail excellence. q Stock control. q Project selling and add ons. q Stock excellence. q Knowing your customer. Building - 6 weeks q Retail excellence. q Knowing your customer. q FLT (fork lift truck) - if required. q Stock excellence. q Timbersaw - if required. TradePoint - 6 weeks q Marketing consent. q Set up to sell. q Knowing your customer. q Recruitment. q Service. Outdoor - 4 weeks / Seasonal - 4 weeks q Plant Care & allocation. q Brand Awareness. q Markdowns. q Stock control. q Lay flat changes. q Sustainability. Showrooms - 8 weeks q Customer journey. q Finance. q Spaces. q Service and selling. q Appointment booking tool. q Storage and bedroom. q Kitchen. q Bathroom. End Point Assessment Mocks – 2 weeks To prepare you for your End Point Assessment, you will complete mock assessments with your Learning Coach. These will include a mock Observation with Q&A and a mock Interview. Once you've successfully achieved your apprenticeship, you'll receive a nationally recognised qualification and an invitation to the B&Q Graduation event. Your year at a glance/15.09.20/RC/V2©B&Q ltd 2020. All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be copied, displayed, distributed or transmitted in any media except with the written permission of B&Q ltd.

Roles and responsibilities UM Unit manager § Attend all quarterly § Ensure off the job check-ins with L&D. training is completed. § Conduct effective coffee & chat. § Monthly review / § Arrange functional feedback skills training if § Complete B&Q store conversations with necessary. induction. apprentice & L&D. § Use Yammer to share § Nominate Mentor and § Follow role profile. top tips, good news introduce to store team. § Understand the stories and for any queries. § Ensure Lifetime Apprentice ‘Year at a Regional Trainer 121s glance document’ and § Gateway / EPA prep are scheduled and in discussion. diaries. UMs will also support apprentice to attend these. keep them on track. § Celebrate in store once achieved and present RM Regional manager certificate. § Understanding of § Check in with apprentice § Celebrate once structured development when in store. achieved and attend programme. graduation. RPP Regional people partner § Understanding of § Check in with apprentice § Celebrate once structured when in store. achieved and attend development graduation. programme. M Mentor § Ensure off the job § Support apprentice training is completed. with the 12 month plan § Support with Planning checklist. next 3 Learning § Support with functional Coach visits. skills training if § Use Yammer to share necessary. top tips, good news § Attend learner visits if UM unavailable. stories and for any queries. Your year at a glance/15.09.20/RC/V2©B&Q ltd 2020. All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be copied, displayed, 14 distributed or transmitted in any media except with the written permission of B&Q ltd.

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Retailer Level 2 Standard Retailers (we call them customer advisor or CA’s for short) give great service and product knowledge to all of our customers. What’s covered? Stock Control & Merchandising: Know your customers: This is Apprentices will learn about stock control and merchandising. all about internal and external customers and understanding their Working with Technology: needs and expectations. Technology is a great tool. They will Communication: There are understand how to use technology and how it can support the sale of different types of communication. products and services. Apprentices will get to grips with these and how they can impact the Legislation and Governance: customer experience. Apprentices will learn about Business and brand reputation: legislative responsibilities relating to B&Q, their team and the products Apprentices will find out about and services being sold. B&Qs vision and objectives. They will also learn more about B&Q’s Equality & Diversity: The employer brand. apprentices will learn about working Personal development: This with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures and module will help apprentices take recognise how local demographics personal responsibility for their can impact on a product range. learning. The apprentices will learn how to make changes to drive Finance: This is all about the improvements. importance of meeting sales The sales process: Apprentices targets and how to drive sales. learn about B&Q products and service. They will look at a range of sales techniques and understand how these can help give our customers the right information. 16

How is the apprenticeship End Point Assessment delivered? Apprentices will complete an End Point Training will be delivered by a dedicated Assessment following a discussion with Learning Coach. They will support their manager and Regional Trainer. apprentices through regular teaching sessions, feedback and observations. The Retailer Level 2 End Point Assessment will include the following It is important that the line manager types of assessment: attends some of these sessions so they understand where the apprentice is on Interview Underpinned by a programme and any actions they need to take to help. Portfolio of Evidence Apprentices will need to show Observation with Question the knowledge, skills and behaviour they have developed and apply it in & Answer their role. To prepare for their End Point Assessment, apprentices will need to complete learning and training in-between visits. 17

FAQ’s Where do I find more information about B&Q apprenticeship recruitment? If you have any questions regarding apprenticeship recruitment, the process or any of the materials then please email learninganddevelopment@b-and-q.co.uk. All resources can be found on Mylo. Do I need to follow the plan set out on the learning journey example? We would recommend following the timescales for each department, however you can decide at what point in the journey the apprentice spends time in what department. Feedback from our pilot highlighted if an apprentice spends time in a department during peak this provides the best opportunity for learning and supports the team. Do I get additional deployment to help with recruiting an apprentice? There are no additional hours given, you will need to use deployment from your model. To recruit an apprentice you need between 24 and 39 hours. What happens when my new apprentice starts? Your recruited apprentice will follow the standard B&Q induction process. Lifetime will be in touch to arrange the enrolment of the apprentice onto their Retailer Level 2 apprenticeship programme. Who is responsible for the apprentice in store and how often should they check in with them? The Unit Manager is ultimately responsible for the apprentice and for completing their 1-2-1’s. We would advise having catch up’s with your apprentice at least every 4 weeks. What is the role of the mentor in store? All stores who recruit an apprentice should assign them an instore mentor. The mentor is there to support the apprentice, checking in with them regularly to answer any questions the apprentice may have and to ensure the apprentice is part of the team in store. 18

What happens at the end of the programme? As the apprenticeship journey comes to an end you will decide which department the apprentice will be assigned to at the end of the programme. What is the benefit of recruiting an apprentice over a traditional recruitment method? At the end of the programme the apprentice will be trained in each department within store. This investment is part of the talent pipeline in store. 19