Hiring apprentices or trainees can be a great way of filling skills gaps and nurturing the next generation of employees within your organisation. But the significant administrative burden and risk of non-completion can be a deterrent for many employers.

That’s where a Group Training Organisation (GTO) can come in useful. A GTO such as Acclaimed Workforce will do all the legwork of finding and engaging an apprentice or trainee, take on much of the associated risk and responsibility, and provide ongoing support to ensure the experience aligns with the expectations and objectives of both employer and employee.

Here are a few ways that a GTO like Acclaimed Workforce can help make sure you get the most out of working with apprentices or trainees.

Further reading: Five in-demand fields for apprentices and trainees

Finding the right candidates

There’s always a risk involved with engaging a new employee. They might seem to have the right attributes on paper. They might present well at interview. But there’s no way of knowing for sure that they will be a good fit for the business and the role until they are actually on site working.

This is one of the major appeals of working with a GTO for your apprentice and trainee needs. A GTO will take away a lot of the guesswork, getting to know prospective apprentices and trainees, taking time to understand host employers’ particular needs, and making sure there is a good match.

Significantly, nearly three quarters of completing apprentices and trainees employed through a GTO are engaged by their host employer upon completion. This is a major benefit to the business, which acquires employees it knows are trained to its standards.

In addition to being a GTO, Acclaimed Workforce provides a whole suite of workforce services, and has decades of experience matching talent with employers. We’re well placed to ensure the apprentice or trainee we place with you is the right person for the job.

Carrying the load

There’s a lot of legwork involved in engaging an apprentice or employee. There’s paperwork and contracts to complete. There’s a need to ensure the candidate is enrolled in the required training and learning the right skills. Once they’re working, there’s an ongoing need to monitor and manage the apprentice or trainee’s performance, both on and off site.

The GTO actually employs the apprentice or trainee, then on-hires them to the host employer. This means they will take care of all of that legwork and legal responsibilities. They will also conduct inductions and safety training, manage payroll and provide HR support for the apprentice or trainee. And they will monitor the apprentice or trainee’s progress and provide support to help them meet training targets.

It can be useful to think of the GTO as an extension of your business and as part of your employee whole-of-life cycle. It's almost like having an extra supervisor and mentor for the apprentice or trainee who can take care of employment-related matters, freeing up the on-site supervisor to focus on the trade skills and training that the person needs for success.

Reducing risk

Managing employment risk is one of the most significant benefits of using a GTO. Because the GTO employs the apprentice or trainee on the host-employer's behalf, the GTO takes on a lot of the risk burden for that individual. This includes taking on responsibility for compliance, along with all insurances and for workers compensation, and ensuring contracts and wages are correct and compliant.

The arrangement also means there is no contract drawn between the host employer and the apprentice or trainee directly – your contract is with the GTO. This allows for some flexibility if for some reason the candidate does not turn out not to be a good fit. The GTO can support the apprentice or trainee to find a more suitable position, and the host employer to find a more suitable candidate.

This flexibility is an attractive feature of GTOs and can provide peace of mind to the host employer. It is worth noting though that apprenticeships and traineeships managed by a GTO result in higher retention and completion rates. This means the host employer gets the most out of their investment, and it saves them time and money because they don’t have to recruit as much.

In short, a GTO will do the legwork and take on employer responsibilities, meaning the host employer can focus on running their business.

If you’d like to find out more about Acclaimed Workforce’s GTO service, contact us today.