It might seem like a waste of time to train an apprentice in the same way as someone who is in a permanent full-time role. However, you are taking on someone who is eager and willing to learn the company values and skills needed. Often times, apprentices are full of new ideas, motivation and can offer a different perspective on things that your current team might not provide. At the end of the apprenticeship, you may very well have trained your apprentice into the perfect person for a job, or discover that their skills are needed in the company when it wasn’t previously obvious what could be missing.
Things for employers to do:
• Present the apprentice with a clear job profile of their role. Apprentices need to know the job you expect them to do to get the best out of them.
• Create opportunity for the apprentice to work with different teams within the organisation. They are there to explore career options, and you may be surprised at which skills they have to offer.
• Make sure to provide ongoing guidance/mentoring. The more you put into trining the apprentice, the more you should get back. They respond well to good mentorship.
• Create a support network for your apprentice. you don’t want your apprentice to feel unsupported as it will also lead to a lack of motivation. This will likely affect the quality of their work.
• Set clear expectations stating what you will do as an employer, to help your apprentice and what you anticipate from them over the period that they work with you. This will be a great guide over the course of their time with you.
• Try to give them meaningful work that contributes to the running of the business. It won’t benefit your business if you don’t!
• Give the apprentice enough time to complete OTJ/20% roles and coursework/exams. After all, they are there to learn and must be able to come out of the apprenticeship with the qualification at the end of it.
• Make sure that your apprentice can apply what they learn on the job. Else you are teaching them tools and not how to apply them to the problems, which will render them helpless in times of need.
• Don’t be afraid to trust your apprentice with some responsibility from time to time. It’s unfair to assume the value that they will bring to a project, without letting them show you first. Many apprentices are looking for an opportunity to prove themselves.
Things that employers should not to do:
• You do not need to be a large corporation to be able to train an apprentice successfully. All kinds of support is available to help you bring this apprentice tot he end of their training safely. A smaller company can often teach an apprentice a variety of skills which they may not learn whilst working for a bigger corporation.
• An apprentice isn’t just an extra labourer to get the job done, try not to treat them this way. Ultimately, they are a person trying to learn a trade. Their skills will improve with better treatment not neglect.
• Make sure to keep them engaged and busy, without letting them freewheel. An apprentice won’t be much help if you do not make it clear what needs to be done. You as the employer have the oversight which they have yet to gain.
• Do not leave them on their own to make major decisions for themselves. Remember that apprentices do not yet have the experiences and knowledge which come with more seasoned workers.
• Keep workloads reasonable and manageable within working hours and their skill capacity. Many apprentices do not earn overtime and they also need time to ensure the success of their studies.
