When owning a trade business, there are a lot of moving parts to manage. From logistics to regulatory compliance, staff management to client relations, there’s always heaps to keep track of. As your business grows in clientele and more projects pile up, you'll eventually reach a point where expanding your team becomes necessary to keep up with the increasing demands.
This is an exciting time, offering you the chance to bring new perspectives and people into your business, but before you do, there are a couple of key things to consider to make sure you’re getting the right people at the right time.
Knowing when to grow your team
Hiring more workers is a big step towards the next stage of your business, but it will take time, planning, and execution. You need to make sure you carefully evaluate your business needs and ensure you’re prepared for the additional responsibilities that come with expanding your team. As a guide, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this the right time to hire?
- Do I have enough work and responsibilities to delegate?
- Will a new hire add value to the current team?
- Do you have the cash flow to handle the added expenses?
- Do you have experienced individuals who can onboard, train, and manage new employees effectively?
If you answer all these questions with a ‘yes’ then it’s probably time to seriously look at expanding, and one of the best initial steps you can make is hiring an apprentice. Apprenticeships are a key aspect of many trade and service businesses, giving your business another motivated worker to help with your work.
Taking on an apprentice
An apprentice is someone who has an interest in your industry and is looking for real-world experience to try it out. Combining on-the-job training with formal education, an apprenticeship is the perfect way for them to learn the required skills and for your business to grow. They can be full-time, part-time, or school-based, available to anyone over the age of 15.
As part of employing an apprentice, you are required to provide a training plan that will help them obtain the required skills and qualifications to be certified in your trade. A training contract will outline the details and responsibilities of the employer and the apprentice, ensuring mutual understanding and commitment.
What are the advantages of apprenticeship for businesses?
Employing an apprentice can be a big step for a growing business, but it often comes with a handful of great benefits. These are some of the main apprenticeship benefits.
New skills and perspectives
As apprentices are typically new to the industry, they may require initial training to familiarise themselves with the tasks at hand. However, once trained, they can add immense value to the team with passion and a fresh perspective. Having new workers adds value to both sides. For those who take part in apprenticeships, they get to earn on the job while also gaining experience in a new industry. For employers, it’s a chance to source and attract enthusiastic, energetic people with a fresh outlook on their work.
Cost-effective
Hiring apprentices helps businesses to add to their team and take on more work without having to pay the same wage as a fully qualified employee. With their extra hands, business owners can significantly increase their productivity without breaking the bank.
Bolsters current staff
When an apprentice joins, it offers them valuable real-world experience and provides an opportunity for current tradies to train them. By sharing responsibilities and guiding them through various projects, current employees help apprentices grow while also strengthening their own abilities in managing and mentoring. This also ensures that existing staff are reflecting on their own skills and not becoming complacent.
What to look for
If you do decide to hire an apprentice, making sure you’re taking on the right kind of worker is essential. Adding an extra body to your team isn’t worthwhile if they aren’t going to help your business grow or contribute effectively to work. These are the key things to look for as part of apprentice hire:
- Commitment to the field of work: Is this person really interested in the work? This might be difficult to figure out, but you can try and understand it by asking if they work on their skills outside of study and training, and if they can see themselves doing this type of work for a while. Ask about their career aspirations and interests.
- Basic knowledge: A good hire should know at least the basics of the trade or industry you work in. This indicates interest and a willingness to learn and receive instruction from your team. However, it’s also important to try and find people who don’t act like they know everything — this can make it difficult to train them and they may not fit well with your other staff.
- Job history: If you’ve got a resume from them, check their recent jobs and whether they look like a stable employee or someone who likes to hop between jobs when they get bored. It’s also important to speak with them about it; they may have had a handful of recent jobs due to personal circumstances, or as a bridge before they found what they wanted to do.
- Character and personality: Will this person be a good cultural fit for your team and your business? Qualifications and skills might seem like the key thing, but character is just as important. You want people willing to grow with your team and be an added support, not someone who’ll get under everyone’s skin.
How to entice apprentices
Getting the right people to join up can be difficult, particularly when there are so many trade businesses offering apprenticeship opportunities. To give yourself the edge, try and make connections with local educational institutions, who may be willing to suggest your business to interested apprentices. If it’s feasible, you can even consider offering an above-average rate of pay, but above all, you should show potential apprentices that they will be treated and valued as a real part of the team.
Another thing your business can do is invest in Mira! Our job scheduling, invoicing and client management features dramatically reduce the amount of time you need to spend on admin tasks, giving you more time to focus on growing your business the right way.
Nurture future talent with trade apprenticeship
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