Apprenticeship is a human resources strategy that many skilled trades employers consider a “no brainer” when it comes to their business requirements.
Why Hire Apprentices?
Transfer Knowledge
- Skills shortage urgently requires experienced tradespeople
- Opportunities to grow the future workforce
- Maintains the supply of highly skilled workers
- Imparting critical know-how
Develop Future Leaders
- Apprenticeship develops future workers, managers and mentors
- Apprentices can become your core workforce
- By getting to know your business, apprentices will be future leaders and managers
Reduce Turnover
- Employee learning and career progression makes you an “employer of choice”
- Recruitment and retention improve through apprentice investment
- Create loyal employees who are committed to the organization
Train to Your Needs
- Have your seasoned journeyperson train right in the company
- Get a better fit with your organization when apprentice is trained in-house
- Once certified, apprentices are already familiar with your customers & processes
Enhance Productivity
- Apprentice progression increases their contribution to workplace
- By second year, most benefits of training outpace investment
- Most employers consider a homegrown journeyperson up to a third more productive than an external hire
Prepare for Technological Change
- Young apprentices will learn new skills and digital technology as they train
- Most are open to learning using sophisticated equipment
- Apprentices can help bring an awareness of and comfort with technology to your team
Attract New Opportunities
- Meet increasing requirements for apprenticeship training for government contractors
- Enhance your reputation in the skilled trades community
- Attract additional business or discover new opportunities for your company
Take Advantage of Financial Benefits
- Employers who hire apprentices report financial benefits
- For every dollar invested, employers receive an average return of a $1.47 over an apprenticeship
- The net benefit ranges from $39,524 for cooks to $245,264 for heavy duty equipment
Return on Training Investment
Canadian Apprenticeship Forum research indicates that apprentices give employers real advantages in today’s labour market. For the past twenty years, CAF-FCA has surveyed thousands of Canadian employers and learned the top advantages of investing in apprenticeship.
In CAF-FCA’s 2017 landmark study, It Pays to Hire an Apprentice, small, medium and large businesses in every region of the country reported an average return of $1.47 for every dollar they spend on apprenticeship training, including wages, journeyperson time, materials and administration. Even better, they report better health and safety records, an easier time recruiting and better retention of their tradespeople. Journeypersons acting as workplace mentors say teaching an apprentice the skills of their trade is a career highlight.
Apprenticeship Advantage
If you are considering a career in the skilled trades, apprenticeship is the most common way of developing the skills you need to be certified. Here are some basic steps to keep in mind if apprenticeship is your post-secondary pathway of choice.
