Four Reasons to Hire an Apprentice

All tradies need to start somewhere. For apprentices, the benefits are obvious. The individual is offered an opportunity to enter the workforce in paid employment and learn a trade while working towards a qualification. The benefits don't just end with the apprentice either. There are a number of advantages for employers that are considering taking on an employee that's new to the industry.

1. No Bad Habits

No previous experience in an industry also means no preconceived ideas of best practice. Each tradesman undoubtedly has his or her own way of getting a job done. Hiring an apprentice gives you an opportunity to train someone entirely from scratch, in your own way. The skills and habits they pick up are entirely a reflection of your teaching, which means that if you act in a way that puts the interest of your business as a priority, it's likely they will too.

2. Build Up Loyalty

In Australia, trade apprenticeships are generally around four years. That's a huge commitment of time and energy in training up an apprentice on your part and won't go unnoticed. In general, apprentices are more likely to stay with the company where they received their training when compared to other recruits. By investing in the apprentice and their future, you'll increase their loyalty and sense of duty, and encourage them to work alongside you in achieving the long-term goals of your business.

3. It's Cost Effective

Hiring an apprentice comes at a much lower cost financially than recruiting a fully qualified tradesman. While the investment of time may detract from the obvious benefits initially, in quite a short timeframe, apprentices should be pulling their weight at work. Due to a lack of formal qualifications, an apprentice's starting wage is much lower and slowly increases as they get further into their training, make it financially attractive for employers. On top of this, there are a number of financial incentives for businesses with apprentices in their team which are offered by the Australian Government and relevant industry sectors and are designed to help with the ongoing development and training required.

4. Increased Staffing

It should go without saying that a bigger team can lead to bigger opportunities for your business. For a small team, hiring an apprentice can mean having an extra pair of hands for the smaller jobs or more menial tasks that distract you day-to-day. For bigger teams, an extra worker can mean the opportunity to take on more work, whether that's by completing them in a shorter time, or by having employees working in different locations at once.Apprenticeships are good for the individual, the business, and the trade's industry as it helps to work can become more difficult. Trade Trak allows you to schedule users and manage jobs with features for quoting, invoicing, SWMS, reports, and much more. Your apprentice can be added to your team and access al of the information that they need to help them get the job done.

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