The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) is aiming to not only raise standards but provide the right level of qualification for today’s recruiter through scenario-based training.

In conjunction with management consultancy Innergy, APSCo has just launched its Recruitment Practice Standard Level 1 for recruiters with up to a year’s experience. Two further levels will follow. The one-hour, timed test is conducted online.

APSCo chief executive Ann Swain told Recruiter that the testing, while aimed more at the professional end of the market, is open to all recruiters.

“The reason we have launched this,” Swain said, “was not just to raise standards but to provide the right level of qualification for today’s recruitment consultant. We feel the industry has moved on substantially, that the majority of people that come into recruitment from a career perspective, are graduates or are of graduate level.

“The RPS is a serious skills examination methodology that is interesting and more far ranging than anything that has been out there before.

“What we are trying to achieve is a serious high-level qualification that has real value within the recruitment market, a qualification that will appear on someone’s CV, a qualification that a company will be able to quote when going for a tender.

“If I was to interview a recruitment consultant, I could see whether they are at a level appropriate for my organisation,” Swain said. “We wanted something credible, which is difficult to pass but inexpensive to take.”