Commencing a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship can be an incredibly daunting experience for a student, particularly if this is the first time they have set foot in the workplace. This is why it is crucially important that you, the employer, provide a workplace environment that ensures they feel settled and can thrive.
Before taking on a school-based apprentice or trainee, it is important to understand that they most likely do not have any experience in an automotive workplace. However, while they are there to study and learn, this is also a period where they are looking to gain real-world experience and make a valuable contribution to the workplace, so make sure you give the opportunity for them to do so.
Providing a respectful workplace
- Hiring an apprentice is no different to hiring a new employee. They are a part of your team and deserve the same level of respect as everyone else. As an employer, it is essential that you provide a healthy, respectful place of work. This means:
- taking action to ensure no employee is displaying offensive or inappropriate behaviour
- providing training and sharing knowledge about appropriate workplace behaviour
- implementing processes that prevent unfair treatment in the workplace
Expectation of a supervisor
It is a requirement that in order to take on an apprentice or trainee, someone at your business is qualified in the qualification they have signed-up to. This person is identified as the student’s ‘Supervisor’.
The supervisor will be the one to take on the responsibility of demonstrating how to perform tasks and roles, while also monitoring the apprentice to ensure they are performing tasks correctly and to the standard required.
A supervisor will also provide feedback to the training provider where necessary, and work to ensure the apprentice is gaining experience relevant to their training requirements.
It is important that the identified supervisor is patient and able to clearly explain the task they are performing while they are performing it. It is also important that the supervisor allows the apprentice to gain real experience and not just task them with performing general-duties (cleaning up, sweeping, etc.) in lieu of training.
Being a supervisor may involve taking some time away from performing regular day-to-day tasks and activities in order to supervise the apprentice. Before taking on an apprentice, consider whether your business has the capacity to do so without impacting the workload of your staff.