Frequently Asked Questions

I've never employed an apprentice before.
How do I get started?

Group training is one of the easiest ways to take an apprentice on, because GGT/AV has already selected and trained your apprentice to a high standard.

We can have an apprentice working for you within the space of a couple of days, and you can specify the sort of person you are seeking (we employ around 1200 apprentices).

To get started, all you need to do is give our Operations Manager, Mr Mark Knox, a call on 0438 330 241, or call our office on 1300 APP VIC. We will send a field officer out to meet you, learn about your business and explain how the process works. There is no charge for this, and no obligation. We are not pushy salesmen.

Does it cost more to use group training apprentices?

Group training is a very cost effective way of employing an apprentice, because you only pay for the hours that the apprentice actually works. In an ordinary apprenticeship situation, the employer must also pay for days that the apprentice attends training at an RTO (roughly 1/6 of the apprenticeship), as well as leave days, RDOs and sick days.

In determining our hire rates, we start with the base award rate for an apprentice in that trade and factor in the costs of employing the apprentice, including a small administrative fee to cover the cost of field officer visits, books and tools. In real terms, this usually means that the amount a host employer is billed each month is slightly more than the rate of pay for employing your own apprentice.

However, it is important to note that in a group training arrangement, GGT/AV handles all of the administrative overheads - like superannuation, workcover and tax. In addition, you do not have to go through the expensive and time consuming process of recruiting, inducting and training your own apprentice.

In other words, you are paying a little extra for peace of mind, quality service and a comprehensive support mechanism that ensures you are satisfied with the young person you employ.

Our company could not continue its important work without the vital support of host employers. We are a non profit, employer-focused organisation and as such our aim is always to keep our hiring rates as low as possible. In many cases, our charge out rates are lower than the actual cost of employing the apprentice (that is, GGT/AV wears a loss employing the apprentice for the first 1-3 years of their apprenticeship, and breaks even in the final year).

How am I billed if I hire a GGT/AV apprentice?

At the start of a work placement, we calculate an hourly hire rate based the award or industrial instrument for your industry and any workplace agreements particular to your business (we can accommodate these in calculating our hire rates).

Host employers are informed of the hire rate, and how it is calculated, before they take an apprentice on. In the case of larger hosts who take on multiple apprentices, or employers who can guarantee long term placements, we can negotiate a discounted hire rate that takes into account the commitment you are making to GGT-AV. Please contact the Operations Manager, Mr Mark Knox on 0438 330 241.

You will be charged this hourly hire rate for each hour that the apprentice works with you. Each month you receive a single monthly invoice for each apprentice you hire, which itemises the days and hours they work, including any overtime (where applicable) or other entitlements that might exist in your industry. You are only charged for the actual hours that the apprentice is in your workplace, and not for training days, annual leave, sick leave, RDOs, public holidays etc.

If you have any queries about an invoice, you can always contact either your field officer or our payroll team on (03) 5132 1700.

What if the apprentice placed with me doesn't work out?

Contact your field officer immediately if you are experiencing problems with your apprentice. In the first instance, the field officer will want to meet with the host employer and the apprentice (together or separately). Our field officers are experienced in resolving issues in the workplace, and in most situations the problem can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

In the event that it can not, or if the apprentice is not meeting your reasonable performance expectations, we will be happy to supply you with another apprentice.

Who decides when an apprentice takes leave?

The host employer, in consultation with the apprentice. Our apprentices must submit applications for leave at least one month in advance to both their field officer (as the representative of their employer, GGT/AV) and their host employer. Where an apprentice is unplaced (ie. between host employers) and they have leave accrued, they may be asked to take it by their field officer.

What is the minimum placement period?

Host employers can negotiate the length of the placement with their field officer; in most cases we are flexible and can work around your requirements. Generally, the minimum placement period is one month, although we invite you to speak with your field officer as in some instances we are able to offer very short term placements.

Depending upon the trade, we may need an assurance from the host to employ the apprentice for a minimum of 6 months.

Do the apprentices get rotated to other employers?

Yes, in many cases. It is unusual for an apprentice to remain with a single employer for the full four years of their apprenticeship. This is to ensure that they receive experience in a range of different workplaces.

The exception is where a host specifically requests a long term placement, and can guarantee work for the apprentice over the full four years, with experience in all aspects of the trade. This is more common in some trades than others (for example, it is quite common with automotive employers, and as such many auto apprentices stay with the one host for the full duration of their employment with GGT). If you are interested in this kind of long term placement, a field officer will be happy to arrange it for you.

How often does the apprentice go to trade school?

The apprentice will spend the first 8-20 weeks of their apprenticeship in trade school (we call this 'front end training') before they are placed with a host. This ensures that the bulk of their basic training is successfully completed before they reach the workplace.

After they are placed with a host employer, apprentices will need to attend structured training sessions on average for one day out of each week. This can either take the form of day release (one day per week) or block release (one week out of every month), or a combination of the two.

Different host employers have different preferences. We try to work around your business requirements, although some training options are only available for certain trades. Your field officer will be happy to advise you.

If I already have a person in mind that I'd like to take on as an apprentice, will GGT/AV employ them and then place them with me as a group training apprentice?

In some cases this is possible, and again we invite you to contact a field officer to discuss it. We have our own selection criteria which ensure that our apprentices are of the highest standard.

It will be necessary for the apprentice to apply to us for an apprenticeship position and go through the usual interview and testing process. However, their chances of being offered a position are greatly increased if you can guarantee them employment for a long period.

We are in the business of employing and training apprentices so generally, if we can find them a job with a host, we will be happy to take them on. However we also guarantee every apprentice employment for four years - so we have to be prepared for the possibility that you may at some point be unable to continue hiring them, in which case we need to have another host lined up for them. Because we employ as many apprentices as we can at any given time, we need to be careful not to 'flood the employment market' with too many apprentices in any single trade.

What happens if I have a GGT/AV apprentice and I want to take over his employment myself?

You must contact your field officer before approaching one of our apprentices with an offer of employment (this is one of most important requirements in the employment contract you will have with GGT/AV as a host employer).

The reason for this is that we make a substantial investment in every apprentice we employ. Because GGT/AV effectively 'carries the cost' of employing the apprentice in the early years of their apprenticeship, it is financially crippling to our non-profit organisation when we lose an apprentice to a host in their third or final year. As a result, exit fees of up to $5000 can apply if an apprentice is 'poached' from our organisation without a written request first being made to transfer their employment to the host.

From the apprentices' point of view, unfortunately (due to seasonal shifts and downturns in work) most employers cannot offer an ironclad guarantee of employment to an apprentice - but we can. In the past, where apprentices have been 'poached' from us, they often end up unemployed later on in their apprenticeship as they have no guarantee of ongoing employment, no matter how well intentioned their employer is.

We are very happy to negotiate a transfer of the apprentice to you at the conclusion of their employment with us, but as a courtesy we ask that you speak to us first.