Programme Overview

The Level 3 Recruiter apprenticeship develops professionals who manage the end-to-end recruitment process, from planning and sourcing candidates through to assessment, selection, onboarding and aftercare. Recruiters match candidates to temporary, fixed-term or permanent roles, support hiring managers, and help organisations secure the talent they need to grow.

This role exists across public, private and third-sector organisations — including recruitment agencies, in-house talent acquisition teams, embedded recruiters and outsourced providers. The apprenticeship equips learners with the communication, commercial, compliance and stakeholder management skills required to operate confidently and independently within the recruitment industry.

Who This Programme Is For

• Recruitment consultants and resourcers progressing into end-to-end recruitment
• In-house talent acquisition assistants or coordinators
• HR teams involved in internal recruitment or workforce planning
• Agencies developing junior consultants into full 360-recruiters
• Individuals who enjoy people-focused, commercial and communication-driven roles

What Apprentices Will Learn

End-to-End Recruitment Process

• Planning vacancies and understanding business hiring needs
• Sourcing, identifying and attracting candidates
• Shortlisting, interviewing, screening and assessment processes
• Managing offers, onboarding and candidate aftercare
• Talent pooling and future workforce forecasting

Market & Sector Knowledge

• Understanding labour markets, sectors and transferable skills
• Identifying green skills and new economy workforce needs
• Researching organisations, job roles and candidate profiles

Stakeholder Management

• Building relationships with clients, candidates and hiring teams
• Providing updates, feedback and professional advice
• Managing expectations, timelines and recruitment SLAs

Communication & Marketing

• Writing job adverts and recruitment marketing content
• Using social media, digital tools and job boards
• Promoting employer brand and candidate experience
• Clear, professional communication across multiple channels

Compliance, Ethics & Regulation

• Understanding legal frameworks, right-to-work checks, GDPR and equality legislation
• Following codes of practice and ethical recruitment standards
• Ensuring safe, fair and transparent hiring processes

Commercial Awareness & Performance

• Understanding KPIs: time-to-hire, cost-to-hire, fill rates and quality metrics
• Identifying new business opportunities
• Managing targets, forecasting and revenue-related goals
• Reporting on recruitment performance and campaign outcomes

Key Skills Developed

• Effective sourcing and screening techniques
• Interviewing and assessment support
• Managing recruitment pipelines and applicant tracking systems
• Building candidate and client relationships
• Time-management, prioritisation and resilience
• Professional communication (written, verbal, social media)
• Reporting, analytics and presenting insights
• Compliance, fairness and ethical recruitment practices

End-Point Assessment (EPA)

Gateway Requirements:

• English & Maths at the required level
• Completed portfolio
• Employer confirmation apprentice is ready

EPA Components:

1. Presentation with Questions

• 50+ minutes
• Minimum 5 assessor questions
• Apprentice submits slides before delivery
  2. Professional Discussion Underpinned by Portfolio
• 60 minutes
• Minimum 6 assessor questions
• Portfolio used as reference

EPA Grading:

• Fail
• Pass
• Distinction