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Let’s be honest – doing an apprenticeship can be tough. Most apprentices are juggling the demands of studying at TAFE with the dynamics of working onsite. So what’s the best way to offer your support when training an apprentice?
Creating a working environment that promotes growth and development can encourage them to build a successful career in the trades – and help your business thrive.
No one likes an intimidating boss, especially when you’re young and learning about the world of work. Peter Gilchrist, executive director at Apprenticeship Support Australia, says it’s essential for employers to be approachable and promote open communication when training their apprentices.
“Being available to your apprentice is really important, particularly in their first couple of years,” he says. “Apprentices want to engage with their supervisors and with the businesses to learn more skills.”
Plus, he says, this approach can help your trainee resolve issues like time management that may affect their work. “If you've noticed that they're not turning up to work on time, for example, talk with your apprentice about their home situation,” Peter says. “It may be that they've moved out of home recently and no longer have Mum or Dad’s support to get up in the morning.”
Informal weekly check-ins with help to embed these open channels of communication, explains Nicole Cox, co-founder of business consultancy Tradies in Business.
“Having a short, reasonably informal chat helps you get to know them beyond working side-by-side,” she says. “Having a set of five or so questions to guide your chat provides an opportunity to get to know them on a more personal level and spot any issues that may crop up.”
Nicole also recommends including your apprentice in team meetings to empower and offer support. “At the core of a good business that employs people is at the very least a weekly toolbox meeting. This an opportunity for the entire team to come together and talk about all of the things that impact a business, including training and safety. Apprentices can learn a lot at these meetings.”
Apps like WhatsApp and Voxer can supplement face-to-face conversations, especially when there’s a generation – and technology – gap between an apprentice and their employer, Nicole explains.
“Apprentices are often young people who socialise and communicate very differently to most of their employers, so it helps to meet them where they're at,” she says. “I've got five young adults in my life and often they won't come and talk directly to me. But if I can talk to them on an app, they'll tell me everything that's going on.”
There’s more to training an apprentice than technical skills like cutting wood, installing wiring or unclogging drains. Interpersonal, or ‘soft’, skills are important too, explains Nicole’s co-founder at Tradies in Business, Warrick Bidwell.
“When you’re training an apprentice in your business, mentor them to become a great team member so they're able to deal with co-workers and customers,” he says. “Try to give feedback and teach the sorts of skills that aren't necessarily part of the formal training.”
These days, there’s greater understanding that diversity – of gender, cultural background and ways of thinking, just to name a few – builds better businesses because people feel valued, supported and respected. Nicole says a key aspect of training an apprentice is taking the time to understand their individual perspective on work and life.
“You can ask questions in a relaxed way to understand or break down some of those walls around communication,” she says.
It can also be helpful to connect with your apprentice’s parents. “If the apprentice is under 18, it’s great to have the parents involved in those conversations because there's so much knowledge that they can share to help you as an employer,” Nicole says.
Preparing your trainee for life as a fully qualified tradie is the long-term goal, but it can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget about the future.
“In our recent research, around 70 per cent of apprentices said that if their employer had talked to them about their future towards the end of their apprenticeship, it probably would have convinced them to stay with the business after they finished their apprenticeship,” Peter says.
He recommends regularly talking with your apprentice about their plans for the future. “Apprentices are just like every other employee in that they have goals. Having those discussions before they finish can be really beneficial – for your apprentice and your business.”
What do women in apprenticeships have to say about taking on a trade? Three women share their stories.
