Trainees and apprentices: beat the skills shortage

Pool Services

Initiatives ease the financial aspect of taking on an apprentice or trainee, but what Mills believes really helps is using group training organisations. In the past Burdens found its trainees by advertising in the local paper, but they now prefer to use MEGT, a provider of apprenticeship, traineeship, education and employment services. “They take out a fair bit of hassle for us,” explains Mills. “They act as an interface between us and the trainee, and that’s helped in a couple of instances to work out whether Burdens suits them or they suit Burdens.”

Directly contacting GTA to find an apprentice or a trainee is another option, says Barron. The GTA network includes approximately 150 organisations across the nation, and together they employ 42,000 apprentices and trainees in every state and territory, giving your business more options. “We have a very large national network, with close ties to most local TAFEs, so businesses are made aware of the opportunities available to them.”

In addition, GTA provides provisions for school-based apprentices and trainees, as well as those who belong to an indigenous community, or are disabled. “So there’s a number of areas where group training organisations work,” says Barron. “It’s a whole sort of menu of services that they provide depending on the area or jurisdiction.”

Yet, as in life, nothing is perfect, and these programs do come with a simple downside: there’s no guarantee the apprentice or trainee will stay with your business after completing their training. “It gets down to the quality of the experience on both sides. If it’s a good experience, history shows there is a chance that apprentice, once becoming a tradesman, will stay with that employer,” says Barron.

“Many employers welcome that because then they can start taking on more apprentices. You want to invest, want to create a more skilled workforce. The last thing you want to see is them walking out the front door after you’ve trained them for four years,” he adds. “Employers have different approaches to making sure they retain the apprentices and tradesmen, some may pay above awards wages. In many cases every effort is made to make sure the apprentice, once qualified as a tradesman, stays.”

Despite every effort being made, at times trainees still leave, says Mills, who has experienced his fair share of let-downs. “Trainees are generally younger people, and they’re finding their feet in the workplace,” he explains. “You risk that the investment you put into them won’t pay back, but quite often it does.”

In the event that a partnership doesn’t work, employers just need to cut their losses and move on, says Mills. “It’s not an emotional thing, it’s just a fact of life. Especially because a lot of them come straight out of school, and they don’t know what to expect in the workforce, and what to expect of an employer, or an employment experience,” he explains. “They can make wrong choices about their career path early on, and we can easily make wrong choices about who is suitable.”

This is not to say tolerance isn’t required. “You’ve got to be a bit patient with them, and a bit patient with your selection,” he says. “On the whole, it’s been a good experience for Burdens. If you get somebody through their training, and train them well, they can be a good employee.”

In a competitive and tight labour market, using apprentices and trainees has become an attractive option. “Every employer, every business, every industry is looking for an advantage, looking for a value-add,” says Barron. “The best way of having that advantage over your competitors, the best way to value-add, is to invest in apprenticeships and traineeships, because it really does skill your workforce, it gives you an edge over your competitors, it allows you to grow your business.”

Intern Option

While apprentices and trainees are one solution to finding the right staff, another is taking on an intern. What’s more, many universities have realised the importance of internships, and easing the transition from study to work. To avoid your newly hired university graduates getting in over their heads, train them while they’re still studying, so they better understand your business and its culture.

“It’s harder to teach intangibles like personal accountability and professionalism but the gap can be filled,” says Stuart Milne, from HR Live, following a study of 1,000 Australian workers. “Many of these skills are best picked up through real world experience as evidenced by the overwhelming 97 percent of the workforce who said practical experience is more valuable to an employer than classroom theory.”