Apprenticeship in Canada – What’s In It For My Business?

Effective Recruitment

Skills shortages and the retirement of experienced tradespeople are creating an urgent need to transfer knowledge from one generation to the next, developing the skills and competencies companies need. Apprenticeship is an important recruiting strategy – providing an opportunity

to grow the future workforce, sustain the supply of highly skilled workers and pass along know- how critical to the business. Apprenticeship is a proven method of developing future workers, managers and mentors.

Develop Future Leaders

Apprentices become the core workforce and are positioned to be future leaders and managers at their company. Among employers who hire journeypersons, 58% reported their journeypersons had completed at least part of their apprenticeship training with them, indicating high rates of retention among trainees.

Reduce Turnover

Turnover is a real concern for employers, who worry their investment in the skills of their employees might be lost to competitors. Rather than a return on their investment, these employers fear the additional burden of recruiting and training replacements.

Employers who hire apprentices argue a commitment to employee learning and career progression helps them become an “employer of choice,” facilitating recruitment and retention at their companies. Investing in apprentices can ensure you have loyal employees who are committed to the organization. Another benefit of hiring apprentices, particularly young people, is an enhanced reputation in the community, driving increased business.

Employees trained to your needs

Employers want highly skilled workers with the right attitude and a commitment to the company’s success. Who better than a journeyperson trained right in the company? In fact, employers cite “a better fit with the organization” as the most significant benefit of employing a journeyperson they trained as an apprentice. By developing an employee from the ground up, companies create workers with trade skills, as well as company- specific knowledge about the systems, culture, customers and processes that make the business tick.

More Productive Workforce

As apprentices progress in their programs, they make an increasing contribution to their workplaces, with the benefits outpacing investment in most trades by the end of the second year.

Journeypersons trained as apprentices often go on to become the company’s most productive team members. More than 60% of employers consider a journeyperson they trained as an apprentice more productive than an external hire, estimating the homegrown journeyperson is 29% more productive.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at   Apprenticeship: an employer handbook