Where to advertise for junior web developers - apprentices?

[Flooble]

Wondering if the collective has any recommendations? We're looking for two junior web developers - relatively unskilled (just HTML & basic Javascript - no framework knowledge needed, no database knowledge, nothing special at all).

Employing a recruitment agency is relatively expensive at this end of the market and they generally have more senior candidates than we want.

Local Tech College has no courses in the subject so is of little use.

We placed an ad on a well known jobsite but have had no applications, just endless phone calls from the site wanting us to upgrade our package and approach candidates ourselves.

I'm keen to just go to Developer Meetups and use LinkedIn, boss is tempted to try and the job board's "CV package".

Has anyone had a good experience with the apprenticeships schemes? I see a few agencies which will setup the apprenticeship, but given the local tech college has no-one being taught the subject I suspect we might struggle to find someone. How have other people got on?

[Flooble]

miniman said:

I would go with the developer meet ups approach personally. Ignore qualifications (my dev lead has a degree in English) and go for the "been doing it all my life" type.

Where are you based?

Nice to have a second vote for my approach :-) Yes, I agree, computer science degrees largely irrelevant in my experience (and I say that as the holder of one!).

We're around Huntingdon so have a struggle with people choosing to commute to London and Cambridge as soon as we get them trained up enough to move on.

[Flooble]

Thanks, will look up baltic.

You actually sound ideal for us ... don't suppose you fancy relocation??

[Flooble]

That was my concern, tricky to tap the right source. I'd forgotten about Stack Overflow - worth a shot.

I'm going to give http://www.theapprenticeagency.co.uk/ a try ...