Salary
Instead of competing for established talent with every other employer in the market, employers should understand that entry-level experience attracts an entry-level salary.
All new workers must be trained in company-specific processes, so there will be an initial investment in training whether the worker has experience somewhere else or not.
There are also monetary incentives offered to employers who train people with in-demand skills.
Under the Federal Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Programme, an employer can earn $1500 for signing up an apprentice or trainee, then double that if the worker sees their training through to the end.
There is often also an extra $1000 if the employer is in a rural or regional area, and an extra $750 if the worker is completing high school alongside their vocational qualification.
Employers can check their eligibility for government incentives via australianapprenticeships.gov.au
Custom-built workers
There may be nothing more annoying for employers than a new hire who starts every sentence for the first six months with the words “At my last job, we did it like this”.
Old habits die hard and some experienced candidates bring their last employer’s perspectives and processes to their new role.
In some instances, this is useful as it is good to know what the competitor is doing but in others it makes training more difficult.
An apprentice or trainee, on the other hand, will likely come into the industry with fresh eyes so be willing to soak up any information, procedures and feedback with enthusiasm.
Company culture
There is a special place in most workers’ hearts for the employer who gave them their start.
There is also often a camaraderie between workers who came up through the ranks together.
Taking on apprentices or trainees instils the company culture from their first day and, in turn, promotes loyalty and longevity.
This article was first published by Careers with SEEK, News Corp Australia, by Melanie Burgess.
