host expectation report

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RESEARCH!REPORT!Host!Expectations!Survey!

Report,!2016.!

Anisha!Mandhana!!!!!!!

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The report aims to understand the expectations of Host Employers before hiring

an Apprentice/Trainee. Host Employers make a substantial contribution to the

successful completion of apprenticeships and traineeship. Understanding their

expectations would provide a baseline for strategy formulation at East Coast

Apprenticeship. To better understand the flow of the report, it has been divided

in three parts. First, data analysis of the 6000+ Host details in the ECOPS

Database is illustrated. Next, characteristics of good employers and their

motivation to become a Host Employer is discussed and finally, screening and

selection procedures for the bringing new Employers on board are discussed.

To provide a base to the above, two online surveys were conducted for both

Apprentices and Host Employers to get an understanding of needs and

expectations of both sides. The methodology of the survey and the sample size

are discussed early on in the report. The response rate is also included in the

report. Finally, limitation of the report is also discussed.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table&of&Contents&

1.! INTRODUCTION!....................................................................................................!4!

1.1. METHOD!...........................................................................................................................!4!

2.! DATABASE ANALYSIS!..........................................................................................!5!

3.! CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL HOST EMPLOYER!........................!6!

HOST VIEW!..................................................................................................................................!7!APPRENTICE VIEW!.....................................................................................................................!8!

3.1.! What motivates Host Employers to train apprentices and trainees?!..............................!8!3.2.! What best explains why Employers work with East Coast Apprenticeship?!.................!9!3.3.! What a host seeks in an Apprentice/trainee?!..................................................................!9!3.4.! According to Host’s a successful apprentice/trainee should have the following characteristics!..........................................................................................................................!10!3.5.! The Host’s also face challenges in Hiring Apprentice/trainees illustrated in the graph below.!11!3.6.! Issues faced by Hosts Employers!..................................................................................!11!

4.! SCREENING AND SELECTION PROCESS!...................................................!13!

5.! MARKETING STRATEGIES!............................................................................!15!

6.! CONCLUSION!....................................................................................................!16!

7.! REFERENCES!.......................................................................................................!17!

8.! APPENDIX!..........................................................................................................!18!!

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1.! INTRODUCTION

The nature of work is changing. Group training Organizations’ (GTO’s) have been

instrumental in changing the way trade apprentices are trained. East Coast Apprenticeships

has strived to manage apprentices effectively. This has been done in a variety of ways. For

instance, preserving apprentices through pastoral care, rotating apprentices between

employers to broaden their range of skills and guaranteeing apprenticeships with a placement

if placements with current hosts unexpectedly end. What is required now is to understand

what employers expect from East Coast Apprenticeship. Having a variety of trades, East

Coast has a database of 6137 Host employers. The aim of the project was to understand the

expectations of Host Employers because they not only they play an important role in

completion of the apprenticeships but also it will help in strategy formulation.

Why is that required? The defining feature of a group training organization is their

employment relationship. Rather than acting just as training intermediaries Group training

organizations are actively involved in the labor market as employers. In order to have a

successful business model it is imperative for GTO’s to offer a variety of services to Trade

persons to bring them on board as Host Employers. The Project would help to understand

what the current hosts at East Coast Apprenticeship like and would like to improve. The

analysis of the nature of current Host Employers would provide a baseline to develop

marketing and engagement strategies of new Host Employers.

Moreover, many Tradesperson do not use GTO’s. There are many reasons for it. Many do not

see GTO’s as support that would increase their propensity to employ apprentices and trainees

(1). Their decisions are also affected by economic conditions and their capacity to provide

supervision (1). The report will also include Literature and Government reports that would

assist in understanding what Host Employers expect from Group Training Organizations.

Two different surveys were made for Existing Host Employers and Apprentices/trainees.

Random Sampling was used to select a list of Host employers and Apprentices/trainees that

included current apprentices and apprentices who have cancelled as well as the one’s who

have completed. Surveys were made on Google forms to ensure better response and gain

comprehensive results at the end. A total of 2004 emails were sent of which 1639 people

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were Host Employers and 365 people were apprentices and trainees. 251 emails bounced

because either the ID’s were wrong or not in use. Seven respondents got back and asked to be

removed from the mailing list. The summarized response for different categories are given in

the table below.

CATEGORY RESPONSE

Host-Construction 7

Host-Electrical 2

Host-Engineering 1

Host-others 6

Apprentices-Current 2

Apprentices- Cancelled Zero

Apprentices-Completed 5

Table 1.

As we can see the response was very low. Thus, for the purpose of the report, responses have

been clubbed together for the purpose of this report.

2.! DATABASE ANALYSIS

As mentioned before East Coast Apprenticeships has a data base of 6137 Host Employers.

Out of the total employers 2777 employers are usable. The remaining cannot be used because

either they do not want to work with East Coast Apprenticeships or have outstanding

payment due to East Coast Apprenticeships. More than 1100 Host Employers’ contract has

not been renewed in the past decade for the same reason as mentioned above. Currently, 284

Host Employers employ 451 apprentices and trainees. 1658 Host Employer’s credit has been

stopped and that includes 23 Hosts currently employing apprentices and trainees. Out the

Employers whose credit has been stopped 476 Hosts Employers are “active”.

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STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Huge Database 400+ Hosts are unusable due to overdraw

Variety of different fields Many contracts with Hosts not been updated for more than 10 years. Makes these Hosts inactive.

Database even covers details of Hosts that do not have any active apprentices

Emails have not been updated. Wrong/old emails resulted in bounce of surveys

Contact person for some companies have changed. Details about the same have not been updated.

Figure 2.

3.! CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL HOST EMPLOYER

The supervisor plays a key role in keeping the apprentices motivated and complete the

apprenticeship. With new generations entering the workforce it is important to understand the

leadership expectation of different generations. Currently, generation Y and Z are working as

apprentices and trainees. They do not prefer an authoritarian or task-oriented leader (2).

Research proves that apprentices intention to quit is strongly determined their relations with

supervisor (3).

An effective Employee would provide a safe and supportive workplace. They would integrate

learning tasks into workplace activities. They would specifically act as a role model and

mentor to the apprentice. When Employers don’t have the mentoring attitude there will be no

mutual trust, liking, care and support. In such situations Apprentices do not effectively

communicate with supervisors because they fear they could be considered or categorized

negatively (4). An Employer should also motivate the apprentice. They would help the

apprentices to develop general employability skills along with ongoing opportunities and

incentives to learn, develop and grow, both establishing new job-specific skills.

They should promote independence and self-direction in learning to an extent. A good

employer maintains good communication and gives feedback. Feedback from superiors is

instrumental in skill development. They would make people feel part of the team. They are

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strong leaders and inspire leadership in others. They should have a strong Sense of

Accountability. Good Employers must shift the focus from trying to get more out of people to

investing more in them, by providing support during training. This will inspire them to bring

the best of themselves to work everyday.

As per the survey responses a good employer should have the following traits:

HOST VIEW Someone who wants an apprentice to go through to tradesman and not just looking for labor hire

Honest, good organization skills, good host of skills

Spending time with trainee regularly, knowing what they are studying and giving work that relates, patience

One willing to mentor and brings understanding to each situation. One that gently encourages the apprentice and checks in regularly to ensure study and work is being done. An organization willing to take the time to train and improve skills

To take the time to train apprentices

Someone who wants to help educate apprentices

Teach them the right way to do the job once and do it properly, mutual respect

Attitude

Patience

Patience and clear communication

Willing to take to ensure apprentice gains skills

Someone who treats the apprentice with respect and an equal on the site, train them with passion for the industry and make sure they are fully understanding your instructions. Give them tasks that make them feel part of the team and not just a lacky. Don’t be afraid to clean up yourself if the apprentice is doing a task and doing it well, this will give them inspiration to be involved in the projects and a sense of achievement, basically be as positive as possible and give credit where credit is due and don’t dwell on the mistakes

Wanting to give back to the industry. Helping kids get a start.

Figure 3.

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APPRENTICE VIEW Compassion, firm bur reasonable and willing to teach

Patience, flexibility and considerate

Supportive, Encouraging and Knowledgeable

Considerate of feeling, appreciates work well done, competent in their job

Sense of Humor, On time, have the skills

Consistent work

Table 4.

3.1. What motivates Host Employers to train apprentices and trainees?

The graph below summarizes the responses by Host Employers in the survey.

Graph 1.

The responses in the ‘Other’ section where- Need during injuries, can send them back if not

good and wanting to give the “younger guys of the future the best possible go”. Research

shows that Employers use Group Training because they want to meet their needs in the

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Flexibility

Speed!of!availability

Helps!to!screen!employees!for!future!permanent!…

Extra!staff!needed

Face!difficulties!in!hiring!apprentices!on!my!own

Wanted!to!become!a!mentor/coach

Cover!absent!staff!

Utilize!individuals!with!specialized!skills

Avoid!cost!of!underXutilization!of!permanent!employees

Needed!to!outsource!burden!o!f!ad!hoc!tasks!and!work!…

Cover!skill!shortages!in!the!team

Administrative!support

Compliance!support

Reduce!risks

Other

What!Motivates!Host!Employers!to!become!Host!Employers

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simplest, most flexible and cost effective manner. Simplicity and flexibility are the major

attractions of Group Training and cost is a major concern (1).

Graph 2.

3.2. What best explains why Employers work with East Coast Apprenticeship?

Hosts use East Coast Service because of the below reason. Their satisfaction with various

other dimensions is attached in the Appendix 1-6.

Graph 3.

3.3.What a host seeks in an Apprentice/trainee?

Following are the level of Experience/qualification that Hosts Expect before using an

apprentice/trainee

9

31

8

34

INCREASES!CAPACITY

RAISES!MY!AND!ORGANISATION'S!

PROFILE

ABILITY!TO!ENHANCE!MY!OWN!WORK!

SKILLS

GIVE!BACK!TO!THE!

COMMUNITY

SHARE!PHYSICAL!LOADS

OTHER

Perceived!benefits

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Quality1of1Apprentices

Overall1easy1system,1more1

practical1for1the1business

Quality1of1service

Reputation Integrity Because1I1was1

approached

OtherGField1officers1are1

good

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Graph 4.

3.4. According to Hosts, a successful apprentice/trainee should have the following

characteristics

Motivation, Interest and integrity

Positive attitude, physically willing to work hard, keenness to learn

Well presented, keen and motivated and respect for them selves and others

Wanting to work, basic manners and good Family support

Listening, forward thinking and responsible

Punctuality, working on their own and “having 2 ears and one mouth i.e. listen twice as much

as they talk

Loyalty to Host Employer, willingness to learn, a ‘want’ to be a tradesman, no just doing it as

they had no other options

Positive attitude, lover doing what they do, pride in their work

Willingness to do the study, organizing themselves asking for help when they need it

Enthusiasm, basic hand skills, dedication

6

8

42

5

1 0

Experience/Qualification!Expectations

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Willingness to learn, turn up on time every time, always looking to improve themselves

Table 5.

3.5.The Hosts also face challenges in Hiring Apprentice/trainees illustrated in the

graph below.

Graph 5.

The responses in the other section were: “drugs,!alcohol,!women!because!they!are!made!to!

do!grade!12”!and! “Overall! costs,! as! a!3rd!and!4th! year! costs!more! than!a!qualified! trade!

subcontractor!!!!”!

3.6. Issues faced by Hosts Employers

Graph 6.

3 3 3

10

2

Generating!a!variety!of!work!in!order!to!

cover!everything!that!the!

apprentice/trainee!expects!to!learn

They!require!moer!assitance!which!be!timeXconsuimg!at!

times

Providing!constant!training!and!

supervision!is!idfficult!to!organize

keeping!apprentices/trainees!motivated!in!midst!of!other!distractions

Other

Challenges

5 38

6 2

12

5 2

Issues

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The issues and Challenges faced explains why many Hosts would not want to hire

apprentices, increased cost for 3rd and 4th apprentice (not included in the survey response list)

being one of the major concerns. This could also be a reason why employers prefer

employing apprentices who do not have prior experience or they really want to train

apprentices who are raw and have lots to learn.

Many Hosts also felt that finding apprentices is easy. But finding a good apprentice is very

difficult as depicted in the figure below. This keeps them away from hiring more often

(Appendix 7) as not all of them hire because they enjoy mentoring as depicted in the graph 1

above

Graph 7.

Employers have some suggestions before sending an apprentice for East Coast to adopt given

below.

Should be interested and motivated

Look for someone who is very keen to work

Apprentice who have real interest in the trade they choose, more family support and are not

lazy!

They don’t need to do grade 12 at 17. They know everything

Better screening. Don’t send a physically unfit person for a role that is physically demanding

87%

13%0%

Yes

No

May!be

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Get them straight out of schools

Table 6.

4.! SCREENING AND SELECTION PROCESS

It is vital to select the companies well. Small and medium enterprises are an important market

but can be expensive to serve because they have very little HR infrastructure, employ

relatively small numbers apprentices and could also have poor health and safety practices.

However, partnering with them could prove effective they do not have capabilities and

finances to hire on their own. Large companies hold more opportunities as they hire more

apprentices (5). Employers do not want to work with Group Training Organizations because

it facilitates better identification of skills required for their concerned business and also helps

to build a strong team that would become loyal to the company/firm.

Further, research shows that Employers do not think Group Training Organizations do not

increase their propensity to employ (1). For those who hired more said they did that because

they received good service from the Group Training organization (1). East Coast enjoys, a

strong reputation and client base along with high quality of services. This has to be used for

bringing new Hosts on Board. East Coast Apprenticeships should aim to build a Brand,

defined as process of creating value to customers. A service brand is built on knowledge,

culture and experience that one has with the service delivery.

More Government Host Employers should be included. They are more open to hiring

apprentices as they regard it as a medium of skill development and vehicle of policy

implementation. East Coast doesn’t have many Government Host Employers. Although

working with Government does not provide as much revenue, working with Government is

vital because the Governments has the power to stimulate substitutes for services like the

Australian Apprenticeship Centers’ (AAC’s). Some initiatives than be take for attracting new

Host Employers are given below.

1.! Communicate the value proposition of the business, most important being the

ability to develop relationships with Employers and Apprentices, in it. Companies

often become obsessed with what they do rather than the services the provide. The

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service should be given more emphasis then trying to bring out the name of the

business. An effective is to portray the business as a partner to the industry that helps

to solve the skill shortage and provide administrative support.

2.! Use existing customers to attract new customers: Existing loyal customers are a

golden asset and a tremendous source of new customers. A concerted effort to

identify loyal customers and offering them high level of service would result in

word-of mouth Marketing of the business. Instead of cash prizes, vouchers or loyal

customers could also be given game matches tickets which would be more

memorable

3.! Create a referral program: the method works effectively with service companies.

Such a program rewards customers for bringing others into the the customer base.

The gifts can range from discounts coupons, gifts, invitations to events etc.

4.! Remove unusable customer details from the database: Almost 54% of the

database cannot be used. The “80-20” rule states that 80 percent of a company’s

business comes from 20 percent of its customers. These customers should be treated

particularly well as they form the core of the customer base and they can bring

customers who would be equally loyal.

5.! Improve selection of apprentices: Testimonies of Employers of past successful

apprentices should be posted on Facebook and the Website to attract Employers. In

short attract them with the quality of apprentices.

6.! Focus on customers already in the database: Alternatively, unusable Employers

can be converted into usable.

7.! Extend the TOP program to other trades: Currently it is only for carpenters and

Chefs. Without any added cost. It gives new Host Employer a chance to experience

what hosting apprentices is all about before committing entirely by signing the

agreement. It can be offered to employers who are reluctant to become a Host.

Among apprentices the cancellation rate is higher than completion rates. Such

apprentices can also be offered TOP.

8.! Make a checklist for field officers before they approach a new Hosts: All field

officers at ECA have their own ways of approaching hosts. An approach by one field

officer may or may not work with a particular Hosts. Field officer’s approaches can

be consolidated and different ways can be used if one approach doesn’t work.

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9.! Approach large firms that hire more than 50 employees at a time because they are

more likely to employ apprentice as cost would not be very high for them. They

would have Human Resource Department that would better understand the

requirements of apprentices. Research shows that working with big companies with

Human Resource Departments have more completion rates than small firms (5).

10.!A more effective Background research is required before establishing relations

with new Employers.

5.!MARKETING STRATEGIES

The Hosts use a variety of different mediums they use to advertise their service (Appendix 8)

and use different channels to keep themselves up to date with industry trends, news, law

amendments and current affairs. East Coast could increase its presence in these areas to

remain in touch with Hosts Employers. Some marketing strategies are discussed below.

•! The website needs to be improved considerably. The competitors have much better

websites that are more user-friendly, attractive and include lot of services. Free links

could be exchanged with other websites related to business to bring visitors from

other websites to yours.

•! Include on the website “the benefits of becoming a Host employer”. Currently it only

mentions why they should choose ECA. For a new host this may look as “blowing

their own trumpet”. By telling them the advantages of working as Host employers

they may be motivated to becoming a Host and since they got the information from

East Coast they may consider working with East Coast. Any Host Employer usually

works with GTO’s for their simplicity and flexibility as well as Risk share and OHS

support. Along with the benefits, responsibilities of the Host should also be included.

•! Direct mail: New list of prospective clients should be made and pamphlets, catalogues

or service details should be sent directly.

•! Include the recruitment process of apprentices on the website to give employers an

idea about how effectively quality apprentices are selected.

•! Include surveys on a regular basis for improvement in the marketing and engagement

activities or take regular feedbacks from Hosts for improvement in service. Agreed

field officers do that but an annual review should be helpful in updating strategies.

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The field officers can also be surveyed regularly to know about their experiences. If

there are some peculiar situations that they have faced it can prove to be a baseline to

develop the checklist. The market is changing so are the people in it. Moreover, one

cannot play safe when doing surveys. Lot many other GTO’s also conduct annual

surveys and include variety of questions with the expectations to get honest answers

for improvement. Customer base can also be increased by asking for opinions using

surveys on the website. Before a web visitor leaves your website, a request for short

survey about what they think of the business and website could be included.

•! The Facebook page need to become more interactive. Hosts Employers’ websites and

Facebook pages could also be included when posting about different apprentices.

Simply mentioning is not enough. Most of the Hosts have Facebook pages. They

could be tagged in the posts. That would also increase the likes and increase the

Facebook audience base.

•! Research about industry trends and movements should be posted on Facebook page

and included when contacting new employers.

•! Increase presence on trade magazines, TV and Newspaper as they are used by

Employers to keep up do date with industry trends (Appendix 9)

6.! CONCLUSION

The report points out the characteristics of successful Host employers and traits that

apprentices seek in their supervisors. It points out the motivation factors of Hosts to become

Employers with Group Training organizations along with the benefits they seek from

employing apprentices. Further, screening and selection processes for bringing new Hosts

employers on board are discussed. Marketing strategies that can be used to attract Hosts

Employers are also included in the report.

The project though completed has one major limitation. As the response rate was the

conclusions lack generalizability, which is also a major drawback of working with surveys as

they know present part of the overall target market. Thus, the data was not comprehensive

enough to draw conclusions.

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7.! REFERENCES

(1) National Institute of Economic and Industry Research. Looking Ahead- The future for Group Training an Economic and Industry Analysis. 2010.

(2) Bennett J, Pitt M, Price S. Understanding the impact of generational issues in the workplace. Facilities 2012;30(7/8):278-288.

(3) Gow K, Hinschen C, Anthony D, Warren C. Work expectations and other factors influencing male apprentices' intentions to quit their trade. ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCES 2008;46(1):99-121.

(4) Milliken FJ, Morrison EW, Hewlin PF. An exploratory study of employee silence: Issues that employees don't communicate upward and why. Journal of Management Studies 2003;40(6):1453-1476.

(5) Bednarz A. Undersatnding the non-completion of apprentices. 2014; Available at: http://www.ncver.edu.au/wps/portal/vetdataportal/restricted/publicationContent/!ut/p/a1/lZDBbsIwEES_pQeOkTexY5tjCmodBEKCViW-IMd2glEwgbion1-DeqW0extpduftIIk2SHp1ca0K7uhVd9WSbss0mwhBYLYUgkLJXt5Wa_GOIaXoA0kktQ992KHK64s9b4edOlszgv6z7py-XRpGkDGgV2-vWmvs4Fp_U9oZVGGT6zonNklZahKCFU3GdaMTrg1mSlNuGhNRqogCd6aAP5FGy-S1EITN4w7hGZTTZzFl4wVE84_hl4gqMrC7ISJH638-NXtEHb92-9NJFrHlow_2K6DNw5r7w4HvmzldccB51z59A5deiJw!/dl5/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/.

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8.! APPENDIX

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

50%44%

6%

Courtesy!and!Professionalism

Exceeds!Expectations

Meets!Expectations

Below!Expectations

13%

81%

6%

Expertise!in!legal!matters


Meets!Expectations

Below!Expectations

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Appendix 3

Appendix 4

19%

81%

Providing!clear,!complete!and!accurate!information


Meets!Expectations

Below!Expectations

19%

75%

6%

Fairness!and!Pricing


Meets!Expectations

Below!Expectations

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Appendix 5

Appendix 6

87%

13%

Recommend!ECA!to!other!business

Yes

No

56%

6%6%

19%

13%

Comparison!with!other!GTO's

I!only!work!with!ECA

Best!among!all

Not!as!good

Better

About!the!same

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Appendix 7.

Appendix 8.

6%19%

31%

44%

Frequency!of!Hiring

Every!6!months

7X12!months!

1X2!years

On!demand

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Mediums!used

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Appendix 9.

3 3 3 3 34

9

1

Channels!used!to!stay!up!to!date

host expectation report

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