t ra i n i n g
DOES YOUR NEXT APPRENTICE
ALREADY WORK FOR YOU?
MEL BARR
Business Development Specialist,
Glass Skills Australia
M
aturity, loyalty and experience
are the trifecta that mature-age
apprentices can offer businesses,
according to an Australian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry report (ACCI)1.
The study looked at employers’ views
about hiring people aged 25 or above as
apprentices.
One person surveyed said, “They’ve
developed work ethics that they can
immediately bring to the table…[and] life
skills as well.”
Mature-age apprentices can significantly
effect the bottom line of your business. They
offer a potential return on investment such
as through lower staff turnover, boosted
skills capacity in the organisation and higher
productivity, the report says.
As an employer, you may already know about
the value of mature-aged apprentices. But
do they see things differently? Here’s some
tips to get them onside to help boost your
business now and in the future.
CREATE THE RIGHT SET UP
SECURE FLEXIBLE TRAINING
Before you sign on mature-aged people
as apprentices, consider their work
environment. How will they fit in? Will they
stick out like a sore thumb among young
apprentices and how will that feel for them?
Tailored on-the-job learning makes sense
for mature-age apprentices. That means
doing real work that’s part of your business.
A flexible training provider can come to you
when and how you need training without
disturbing your workflow. Would it suit you
to have face-to-face training in your factory
or on site when installing your products?
Ideally, the coach will come to you.
Maybe they’ve never undertaken an
apprenticeship before due to literacy or
numeracy problems. If so, how can you and
the training provider offer to support them
to overcome that?
How comfortable would a mature-aged
apprentice be returning to a classroom to
learn? How long has it been since they learnt
that way? Are there other effective training
options?
POOR
4%
BELOW AVERAGE
9%
ABOVE AVERAGE
20 %
EXCELLENT
67 %
EMPLOYER
SATISFACTION
TAKE A SOFTLY, SOFTLY APPROACH
Tapping an existing mature-age worker on
the s houlder to discuss apprenticeship
training might give them a fright. What’s in
it for me? What’s next, the pink slip? Maybe
they have short-term worries about their
salary, seniority and job satisfaction.
The ACCI report suggests employers talk
with would-be mature-age apprentices about
long-term positives. These include a longterm career as well as potential work variety,
job security and satisfaction and possibly
salary increases and promotions.
YOUNG
40 %
MATURE AGE
60 %
COMPARATIVE
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
What the apprentice already knows may
count towards the qualification. As well as
face-to-face training, there may be online
training that the apprentice can do at your
premises or from home. Importantly, this
means your apprentices aren’t off site for
weeks on end. You’ll also need to be able
to contact the coach via email or phone in
between visits.
Check that the training provider you’re
about to hire ticks off all these boxes so the
training works seamlessly for you and your
business.
MAKE THE QUALIFICATION WORK
FOR BOTH SIDES
There’s a choice of national qualifications
for apprentices. For window and door
fabricators, including shower screen
installers, the ideal is a Certificate III in
Processing Manufacturing (Fenestration
Specialist)2. With this, they can fabricate
and assemble aluminium and/or uPVC
windows and doors to Australian Standards.
They would also get an insight into lean
manufacturing concepts – a systematic way
to cut waste in manufacturing. That could
be time, people movements, components
or processes underpinned by safer working
practices.
INVESTIGATE THE INCENTIVES
Government incentives, funding options and
tax breaks often change and can vary by
state.
Contact Glass Skills Australia on 1800 886
269 or visit www.glassskills.com.au to discuss
your training needs and the next steps in
accessing potential funding and incentive
programs available.
1 www.acci.asn.au/resources/its-not-about-age-pathways-engaging-mature-aged-people-existing-workers-apprentices
2 www.glassskills.com.au/training/tradesperson/certificate-iii-in-process-manufacturing-fenestration-specialist
24 Australian Window Association