In today’s competitive job market, finding top apprentice talent with the right mix of skills is key for organisations across many industries. OPC Assessment, a leading provider of assessment tools in the rail and transport sector, has helped many organisations in identifying and recruiting high quality apprentices through their Core Skills Series assessment tools.
Introducing the Core Skills Series
The Core Skills Series, specifically developed for entry level roles, provides a comprehensive range of ability tests, tailor-made to help evaluate foundational numerical and verbal skills, as well as abstract, diagrammatic, spatial, and mechanical reasoning abilities. These tools have demonstrated their value by helping identify candidates with sound reasoning abilities, particularly in engineering, construction and manufacturing industries where such skills are key.
An example from the Core Skills Series is the Core Skills Abstract Reasoning Test (CoreA), which evaluates a candidate’s ability to discern patterns and trends by analysing shapes or symbols and identifying the underlying rule(s) to solve the problem. This capability can be particularly useful in engineering apprenticeships, where skilled problem-solving is required for successful job performance. The CoreA is one of seven tests in the innovative Core Skills Series.
“I’m glad I did the tests. They helped me understand a lot more about the apprenticeship.”
[Candidate feedback]
Bespoke practical assessment tools
Alongside the Core Skills Series, OPC Assessment also produce bespoke practical assessments designed to help drive diversity and inclusion in recruitment processes. These types of tests are only offered by a few test distributors. The hands-on assessments simulate real-world scenarios, offering candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their practical abilities. From hazard-checking tests to precision engineering tasks, they allow candidates to showcase their skills tangibly, beyond traditional academic performance, while also providing them with an insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of the role.
“The practical assessments offered a different approach to evaluating aptitude and talent. Candidates who may not have excelled academically, in other assessments or in an interview demonstrated remarkable proficiency when faced with these tests.”
[An Apprenticeships Manager]
OPC Assessment’s psychologists emphasise the importance of making recruitment decisions based on tangible competency evidence. The Core Skills Series and practical tests offer businesses valuable tools to help identify and recruit individuals with a higher likelihood of succeeding through training, and delivering quality performance in the role.
Jo Lawrence, Business Development Director at the OPC said “Our Core Skills Series and practical assessment tools assist recruiters in making well-informed decisions, discovering top-tier apprentice talent, and promoting diversity and inclusion. Recognised for excellence with a recent CIPD nomination, and a history of success in helping rail and transport organisations to find ideal entry-level employees, you can trust our experts for any sized recruitment or team performance project.”
You can discover more about OPC Assessment’s Apprenticeship recruitment project support in our news stories:
Heavy Vehicle Mechanics Apprenticeship (HVMA) project: https://tinyurl.com/3nvu92md
Practical assessment tools project: https://tinyurl.com/Practical-assessment-tools
Curious about the Core Skills Series or Apprentice recruitment solutions? Get in touch with the friendly OPC Assessment team for support.
E: admin@theopc.co.uk
T: +44 (0)1923 234646
W: www.theopc.co.uk
