2021 recruitment drive
It’s hard to believe that this year’s tutor cohort only has five months left in the role before they move onto their next stage in life, be it university or the work place. So, with only five months to go before we wave goodbye to our class of 2020/2021 and say hello to 2021/2022, we’d better get cracking with our recruitment drive. And cracking we are! Even though it’s February, we are in full swing with our 6th form and college presentations, receiving applications, and interviewing. And, dare I say it, issuing our first contracts!
I caught up with Richard Edge, our Regional Director for Flintshire and the Liverpool area, and he talked me through the seven-month recruitment process which starts in February. His applications are coming in at pace and the schools and colleges in his area are really engaging with our offering for their year 13s. And with our presentation being delivered virtually now, our new recruitment film is being received very positively!
Adam Hodges, our Yorkshire Regional Director, echoed Richard’s comments and emphasised particularly the high calibre of the year 13s he has interviewed so far; their predicted grades have been excellent! 2021/2022 is the year he is also hoping grow into the York and Scunthorpe area and really build on the great work already being done in Hull and Leeds.
One interesting observation was made by Tia Pitchers, our Regional Director for the East, London, and the East Midlands; the year 13s she has interviewed so far are 100% committed to taking a gap year. The impact of the pandemic is definitely being felt by this year’s school leavers with many putting off going to university because of online learning and missing out on the ‘real’ uni experience.
For Jess Shepherd, our Senior Regional Director for the Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire area, this will be her fifth year in the role and a real pro at our annual recruitment campaign! With schools and colleges not in their usual modus operandi, this hasn’t deterred them from wanting Jess to present to their year 13s virtually; she’s currently at ten presentations and counting and it’s only the middle of February!
Our final word comes from Abbie Stewart, our Operations Manager, who conducts all of our second interviews. Our 2021/2022 recruitment campaign has started really strong with the first few applicants setting the bar high. There is a real eagerness out there from year 13s to cement their gap year plans; evident in the number of interviews taking place well before Christmas!
So, there you have it; now, more than ever, there is a real hunger to take a gap year. COVID-19 continues to provide so much uncertainty for school leavers today that for once, the gap year is now seen as perhaps the safer option. And to find out why taking a gap year with Yipiyap has been a great experience for one of our team, see Sam’s blog, “Yipiyap helped me get into Oxford”!