Tips for Training Your New Apprentice

Deciding to take on an apprentice is a serious commitment. As their employer, you’ll be responsible for your apprentice’s skill development, safety, and formal training contract. In return, you’ll get the opportunity to strengthen your business from within while maximising productivity and recruiting efficiency.

If you don’t have much experience with apprenticeship training, there are steps you can take to ensure you and your trainee get the most out of the experience. To make sure you meet all your employer responsibilities, check out our expert tips on how to train your apprentice.


Help Them Settle In

Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking. Your apprentice might have some first-day jitters, so it’s important to make them feel welcome. Introduce your apprentice to the team, show them around, and demonstrate the kind of work they’ll be doing.

Choosing the right person to mentor your new apprentice will also help them settle in more easily. Apprentices are often straight out of high school, but they can also be mature-aged people retraining after a career change. Different people will have dissimilar needs depending on their age and background. Take a moment to ask your apprentice a few questions to match them up with a suitable mentor.


Start with the Basics

Even if your apprentice already has some some experience in a similar role, it’s crucial to provide them with a solid foundation of basic skills and knowledge. Explain every subject in detail and focus on teaching industry best-practice.

Regardless of the topic or your apprentice’s current skill level, try and communicate training processes in a clear and simple way. Ideally, you should only explore one idea at a time rather than bombarding them with multiple concepts at once.

Once your apprentice has mastered the basics, you’ll be able to move on to more advanced skills.


Track Their Progress

Monitoring your apprentice’s knowledge and skill level is a crucial aspect of apprentice training. Tracking their growth will let you see how they’re improving, and whether they need support with certain skills. You can measure your apprentice’s progress with a combination of practical and theory assessments, or by closely supervising their daily tasks.

If you’re not sure how to hire an apprentice, contacting a Registered Training Organisation is a great place to start. Major Training can help you understand your responsibilities as an employer, so you and your apprentice can both benefit from the training arrangement.

Check out our Information for Employers page to learn more about hiring an apprenticeship in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, or the Sunshine Coast.

Talk to A Course Advisor

Need some help or want to find out more about our courses? Get in touch on 1300 790 822

Get In Touch

With a course advisor