APPRENTICES
WORTH IT OR NOT? By the time this article is published, my eighth apprentice will have been signed off as a fully qualified tradesperson. It is always a proud moment for me when this happens as I know I have taught them something which will have a significant impact on their future life. You can’t predict the future though so there is no guarantee they will continue working for you, or if they choose to leave and start up their own business. They may even go on a different track and learn a completely new career altogether. This is exactly what happened with one of my apprentices. Justin finished his apprenticeship with me in 2008 but always had the passion to work in the airline industry like his father (who is a Virgin Airlines pilot). He decided to take 12 months off to study for an Aeroskills Course (Certificate 4 Level) to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. He contacted me a few weeks ago saying that after years of applying for positions in the airline industry (and getting knocked back each time) his application for a job with REX Airlines was accepted. In all the time he was applying for those positions, he continued working in his trade as a painter. I was so proud of him as his commitment and determination, eventually paid off. Many of you may think though, ‘Is it really worth training someone?
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It will cost me time and money and then they may leave when the apprenticeship is completed.’ Well I must disagree with anyone that taking on apprentices is not worth it to their business. If I thought that, I wouldn’t be training my ninth apprentice now. Even so if they did leave your employment (and you have treated them well in that time) you may find they will may come back. Even if they started up their own business, you can use them as sub-contractors. This has been the case with many of my past apprentices. You know what their work is like and you can use it to your advantage. So let’s break it down on what it approximately costs you as an employer. I’ll start with the wages which have been sourced from the ‘Queensland Fairwork Ombudsman’ website. Please note, these are only approximate rates as there are many factors to take into consideration, such as the age and education of the person, state you live in, Government incentives and many other factors that are too numerous to mention. Below is an average hourly wage based over a 52 week period. Year 1st 2nd 3rd $/Hr $12 $14 $17 Travel $14 $15 $16 /Day (Working days only)
4th $20 $17
To get the true apprentice wage rates, go to the specific websites in your state. The actual training of an apprentice is one of the main reasons why employers do not want to employ them. They don’t want the responsibility or they feel there is too much effort involved. I believe there is a total misconception of this. In the first few months the apprentice is only doing basic things. These are simple tasks to pick up and not really time consuming for the employer to teach and it also saves you having a qualified tradesman doing the work. With the Government Incentive of $4,000 ($1,500 given to you at the 3 month probation period and $2,500 at the end of the apprenticeship), it literally pays for their first 6 weeks of their employment. You could even be entitled to other incentives which is another bonus to help go towards their wage. If you manage your apprentice correctly, you should see a monetary benefit within a very short period. When they are into their 3rd and 4th years, they should be at the stage where they are nearly doing the same work as a tradesperson. If you look at the wage graph above (and below) compared to what you are charging per hour, you are making a nice little profit on them.
