Taking on an Electrical Apprentice

Interview Before Making your Choice

Before signing up a trainee as an apprentice make sure you have made the right choice. Advertise the vacancy and interview each applicant carefully. Call back suitable people for a second interview and take up references from previous employees or teachers if they are still in full time education.

Being an apprentice means devoting four or five years to learning a craft and knuckling down to studying for examinations and trade recognised awards.

Signing Up to be an Electrical Apprentice

To be an electrical apprentice the employee must sign a legal document to say they will undertake the training and commitment to study to be an electrical engineer. Depending on your type of electrical repair business your governing body or trade organisation will assist with the legal documentation and training plan for the staff involved.

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Older Staff

Do not dismiss the idea of taking on an older member of staff and training them in your craft. Although you would not sign an older person to be an electrical apprentice you could still employ them with a contract whereby they are trained as an electrician or an electrical engineer. Older staff will most likely have more of a commitment to studying for a job and with ageism laws now in place in the UK you cannot dismiss any person who applies for the position of an apprentice even if they are older than the accepted norm.

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Training Plan

Work with the apprentice and keep an eye on their training whilst they are in college. If you are unable to personally supervise the training of the apprentice when they are in your workshop assign them a mentor who can keep you informed of the staff members progression. Regular appraisal meetings with the apprentice will also keep you aware of their work attitude and aptitude. Make a point of speaking to training staff at the college so that you can quickly step in and help if the apprentice is slipping behind with his or her studies before it becomes too much of a problem.

Involving the Parents

The parents or guardians of the apprentice should also be part of his or her training. Apprentices usually earn a lower wage whilst training and consequently most will still live at home with their parents. It is up to the parents to make sure that they are fit and able to work and take their studies seriously. It would be advisable to meet the parents or guardians of the prospective apprentice at the interview stage before documents are signed for the apprenticeship.

By making time to take on an electrical apprentice in your business you will be repaid with an employee that is skilled in your trade and can work alongside you and other staff members with confidence. Make sure that the apprentice is contracted to your electrical business so that they cannot complete their training and move to another employer as soon as the apprenticeship ends.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Electrical Business Startup Cost Calculator lets you work out what it really costs to set up as an electrician: tools, van, test equipment, certification, insurance and registration, so you know how much you need to start. Try it now →