What to expect - Apprentices - Careers at nissan

What to expect at application & interview - Apprentices

Do you want to be part of a Nissan Apprenticeship Scheme that prepares you for greatness?

Our apprenticeship schemes are here to help create the next generation of workforce, and are therefore both academically and practically challenging.

We have a comprehensive recruitment and selection process for our apprenticeship schemes that will help us and you understand your suitability for the role.

Here we have outlined each stage of this process so that you can prepare yourself fully for your application to a Nissan Apprenticeship Scheme. We will keep you informed and prepared along the way and every stage is a chance for you to show us your capabilities and achievements, so don’t be afraid to sell yourself! Please be honest throughout the process and enjoy yourself. Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR…

Enthusiasm and Open to Learning

As an apprentice your appetite for learning and development is key, in a production environment where you will meet a variety of challenges and work together with others to innovate new solutions.

Focus

At Nissan we enjoy a culture of openness and innovation, led by our Nissan Way values that you will find in every corner. Staying focused on these values and realising the difference they make is what enables our success, and you will need this focus as an apprentice with us. During the recruitment process you will learn more about how we work and have the chance to ask questions around our culture and values.

Respect

At Nissan we embrace diversity, value respect and are always striving to show empathy towards different views. As a Nissan Sunderland apprentice you will share this respect for others, while interacting with many different people including apprentices, work colleagues, management and tutors.

Application Stage

Application Form

Firstly, you will fill out an online application form. You will be provided with clear instructions and given a deadline by which everything needs to be completed.

You will need to answer some short questions to check your suitability for the role. Use your application to highlight key points that show us why you would be a perfect fit for one of the Nissan Apprenticeship Schemes and ensure it is accurate and contains your most up-to-date information. Try to do some research on Nissan Sunderland and ask advice on your application from family and friends. All of this will help you put in a great application.

Our Apprenticeship Programmes Team will then review your application against set criteria and will be in touch with you shortly after.

Please note – You must be in a position to prove your right to live and work in the UK. You will be asked to bring evidence of this if invited to interview.

Assessment Process

Practical Skills Test

Some schemes will require you to do a practical skills test relevant to the role. There isn’t a lot you can do to prepare for this beforehand - our best tip would just be to listen to the person facilitating the test on the day and try to relax. You don’t need to dress smartly for the practical skills test, just wear something comfortable.

Assessment Day

Congratulations! It is a fantastic achievement to make it through to the assessment day stage of our recruitment process and these stages are usually the last ones for you to showcase yourself. Assessment days typically consist of a presentation by us to explain Nissan Sunderland and the Apprenticeship Scheme in more detail, followed by a group exercise and a one-on-one interview. Preparation for this stage is critical to ensure you demonstrate your qualities and personal attributes to the best of your ability. We advise you to do some research about our Company and the apprenticeship to which you have applied. It also helps to settle any interview day nerves too, so our advice is to prepare, prepare and prepare! Try to think about the types of questions we may be asking you, and don’t be afraid to ask advice from friends and family too. The interview is also an opportunity for you to ask us any questions you may have, so maybe jot down anything you would like to know more about. Stay calm, we are a friendly bunch and we can’t wait to meet you on the day!

Job Offer and Medical

Congratulations you’ve been offered an apprenticeship! This means you have met all of our requirements and we’re impressed with what you’ve shown us. You will receive a conditional job offer subject to providing evidence of qualifications, your right to work in the UK and passing a medical. A pre-employment medical is mandatory for all new starters as we operate at a production site. Your start date will be confirmed once your qualifications, medical results and ID documents have been checked by the Education Provider and ourselves. At this point the pressure is off; your time can be spent preparing for your apprenticeship but still check your post and emails for updates and additional requests. Remember we are still here to answer any queries you may have before and throughout your apprenticeship. Now relax and enjoy your time off before your adventure at Nissan begins.

Hints & Tips for applying to be an apprentice

The best applications for apprenticeship vacancies are those that are simple, relevant and honest. We need a chance to get to know you before we can be sure that you will be a good fit within NMUK. The recruitment process is especially designed to allow us to find out more about you and, of course, for you to find out more about us; it’s important that you are happy in your chosen career.

The best advice that we can give for a good application for one of our apprenticeship vacancies is to prepare wherever you can and do your research. Once you have applied, keep an eye on your emails, texts and your phone calls, even from a withheld number – this could be us calling! It is a good idea to have a voicemail set up in case you do miss any calls we can leave a message and make sure you check your voicemails regularly. We don’t mind if you want to call our team for an update on your progress but, if you don’t hear from us straight away after a particular stage of apprenticeship vacancies, try not to worry as we will be in touch as soon as possible.