The need to train new apprentices is seeing a major surge in demand in Western Australia. A combination of booming infrastructure projects, mining growth on the rise, and an increase in defence spending by the government, means construction and engineering trades are forecast to experience significant skills shortages in the coming years. With that comes an increased need for companies to rethink how they might tackle the challenges of finding, hiring and training these workers.
Group Training Organisations are one solution that hundreds of companies are turning to. While many might have heard of ‘GTOs’, not everyone has a full understanding of exactly what they do, and how they can help. This article outlines what Group Training Organisations do, what their benefits are, and how companies can best use GTOs to boost their workforce.
What is a Group Training Organisation?
A Group Training Organisation or GTO, employs apprentices and trainees under an Apprenticeship/Traineeship Training Contract and places them with host employers. Essentially, GTOs are a ‘one stop shop’ to cover all requirements for apprenticeships, aside from the on-site work experience element.
They undertake hiring, government paperwork, payroll, superannuation, workers compensation, off-site training, equipment provision, mentoring, all administration, and trade specific Occupational Health & Safety (OHS). They also check the eligibility of each apprentice or trainee for allowances, including their eligibility to access Trade Support Loans and Living Away from Home allowances. Good GTOs even update details with the State Training Authority and negotiate any suspensions, reduction of term and completions when needed.
On top of taking the burden of apprenticeships from companies who would otherwise need to do all of this direct, GTOs also have some other significant benefits.
What are the benefits of using a Group Training Organisation?
In competitive environments like those being experienced in Western Australia right now, one of the biggest benefits of using a Group Training Organisation is the ease of being able to secure the right people quickly. With flexible terms, you don’t have to commit to 4 years with an apprenticeship either, you can increase or decrease the amount of apprentices you hire at any time. That flexibility of being able to scale up quickly cannot be underestimated to maintain a workforce advantage, especially when it comes to filling skills shortages.
There are also other major benefits of using the right Group Training Organisation. For example, Skill Hire – Australia’s leading workforce solutions company – saves clients money, time and has proven to exceed industry success rates across the board.
This includes:
- Only paying for the hours the apprentice is with you
- Qualified for up to $8,500 in apprentice incentive payments
- Off the job training and lost time costs fully covered by Skill Hire
- An apprentice retention rate of 68%.
- An apprentice utilisation rate of 81% (meaning apprentices are learning and working more, rather than sitting around).
How can companies best use Group Training Organisations?
Every company’s needs are different when it comes to apprenticeships. To get the most out of using a Group Training Organisation, it’s important to use a provider that can tailor their offering to your needs.
- Ask for agile and scalable solutions to your apprentice staffing.
- Ask for improved service and management of your apprenticeship programs.
- Ask for reduced administration, compliance and reporting burdens on your own operations.
- Ask if they can maximize government incentives to help offset apprenticeship costs.
As Australia’s leading workforce solutions provider, Skill Hire has placed over 5000 apprentices since inception in 1997, with over 241 active apprentices available now.
To talk more about how Skill Hire can support your unique workforce needs, head here, or call 08 9376 2800.
