Help your apprentice or trainee complete their training

Most of the apprentices you hire are young people, taking their first steps into the professional world. Their employment with you may define their future work ethics and how they map out their career path. The lessons they learn will be both challenging and rewarding.
With your support, they can reward you with performance and skills growth for your industry.
Here are some tips to help them along the way to completion.

A good head start

Recruiting the right person from the start increases the potential for the apprentice or trainee to be successful in their job and complete their qualification. You can improve the quality of your recruitment by having a well-developed idea of the best person for your organisation and using a comprehensive recruitment and interview process.

Nurture your investment

Personal support for your apprentice is vital; they are moving into adulthood, there will be critical times when other things will compete for their attention and there will be situations at work and at home that might knock their confidence. Sometimes it is as easy as telling them how well they are doing.

Communicate

This is the key to engaging your apprentice or trainee. The better you understand each other the less chance there is of a misunderstanding derailing the apprenticeship or traineeship. If they feel comfortable with you, they will be more likely to ask for help when they need it. The more readily they ask questions, the faster they will learn and the faster their skills will develop.

A clear direction

Make the job clear from the start – give the apprentice or trainee an overview of the business, then provide them with a description of what role they play towards its success.
Be clear about their current responsibilities and duties, making sure you show them how tasks are performed. Make them aware of each step in their role.

Give them a chance

We all start out differently; some people mature at different times and learn at different speeds. It will take time for the apprentice or trainee to adapt to their new workplace and this can be impacted by a number of things – moving out of home, a routine, tertiary learning, etc – even the simple fact they are sharing time with older people in a professional environment could be new to them. Don’t be too hasty with your judgements.

Looking out for your investment

Dropping a training module, absence from off-the-job training, lateness for work – if they start to happen frequently do not let them go unnoticed. These may be warning signs that the apprentice or trainee is not happy and may jeopardise completion of their qualification.
If you become aware of a warning sign you may want to talk to them, or your MEGT Network Provider Consultant to assist with early intervention.

Safety and Care

Sometimes it is not so obvious why tasks have to be performed in some ways: be sure to demonstrate the correct safety method for performing tasks before they are commenced.
Lead by example and make sure you and all your staff are using equipment safely, including the use of personal protective equipment – your apprentice or trainee will be watching.

Keep them motivated

Encourage them to learn, recognise their achievements, provide incentives, challenge them with new tasks and learning new skills. Involve them in company training opportunities – talk to them about career paths and about why completion is so important. Their motivation will keep your investment growing.