There are three formats
The small firm chat. Twenty minutes in a portacabin or an office, usually with the person who will be training you. They are deciding whether they want you in their van at 7am every day for three years. Be on time, be polite, be interested, ask questions.
The large employer assessment day. Used by engineering, rail, utilities and manufacturing schemes. Expect aptitude tests, a group exercise, a practical task and a formal interview, all in one day.
The trade test. Common in hairdressing, barbering, catering and some engineering roles. You will be asked to demonstrate something — cut a model's hair, cook a dish, file a piece of metal to a line, read a drawing.
Questions that come up every time
- Why this trade? Have a real answer with a story in it, not a slogan.
- What do you think the job involves day to day? This is the one that separates people. Know the actual tasks — early starts, weather, repetition, the boring parts.
- What do you know about us? Look at their website. Name a project.
- How will you get to work? Practical, and they will ask.
- Tell me about a time you worked in a team / dealt with a problem. Use anything — sport, a Saturday job, family, a group project.
- Where do you see yourself in five years? "Qualified, on the tools, and good at it" is a perfectly strong answer.
What they are really assessing
In the trades, technical knowledge is not expected — they are going to teach you. What they are testing is:
- Will you turn up? Punctuality at the interview is data.
- Are you safe? Any sign that you take risks casually is fatal.
- Will you listen? Interrupting the interviewer, or answering a different question than the one asked, is noticed.
- Can you handle a site? They are imagining you among six people who take the mickey relentlessly. Being unflappable helps.
Aptitude tests
Larger schemes — particularly electrical, engineering and rail — use aptitude tests. Typically:
- Numerical reasoning: percentages, ratios, fractions, reading tables. GCSE foundation level, under time pressure.
- Mechanical comprehension: gears, levers, pulleys, simple circuits.
- Spatial reasoning: folded shapes, rotations, which net makes which box.
These are practicable. Free practice tests are widely available online and a few hours of preparation genuinely changes your score. Do the practice — most applicants do not, which is exactly why it works.
Practical things to get right
- Turn up ten minutes early. Not thirty, not on the dot.
- Dress one step smarter than the job. Clean boots and a clean shirt for a site interview; not a suit.
- Bring your own tools if asked, and bring them clean.
- Have two questions ready. "What does a typical first year look like?" and "What happens after I qualify — do you keep apprentices on?" Both are genuinely useful to know.
- Say thank you. A short message afterwards is remembered.
If you are rejected
Ask for feedback, politely, once. Then ask whether they will keep you on file and when they next recruit. People get taken on the following year because they asked that question and were remembered.
Last reviewed 25 September 2026.