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National Apprentice and Trainee Week Australia with Jason Banks from MIGAS · Sales Trajectory Podcast

• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the sales trajectory podcast, where innovation meets execution in sales.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Jason Howes, your host, a 35-year sales veteran and lifelong student of the game.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast is for leaders and sales professionals with a growth mindset.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: You'll hear real sales stories about new products, motivating teams to prospect, and boost productivity.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: We dive deep into sales process, cutting-edge tech, and recruiting top sales performers.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get started.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning and welcome to Jason Banks, National Strategy and Development Manager for MyGas Apprentices and Trainees.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: How are you, Jace?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hey mate, I'm going really, really well.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: How are you going today?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Always great to catch up with you, buddy, and I greatly appreciate your time.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: And it's uh been a while since we've caught up on a, even though we don't live far from each other, but always good to catch up uh on a virtual meeting with you.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, and thanks for the opportunity to be able to jump on and share a little bit about my own story, but also share a little bit about what's uh what's coming up shortly.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Part of the reason we did get Jason onto the uh sales trajectory podcast is that Jason's heading up a very uh exciting and rewarding campaign for National Apprenticeship Week.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's it.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, National Apprenticeship Week Australia.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's a week-long activity, an opportunity for organizations, businesses, industry, government to, you know, take a step back, reflect and recognize apprentices and trainees all around this great country of ours.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Give us a bit of a rundown on um how you got to this this space and working on this, Jace, because I know we've known each other in a roundabout sort of a way.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: I think for many years we sort of never really crossed paths a lot.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: I had my sales hat on, you had your operations hat on.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of the times we only sort of cross paths when there was a bit of a problem, actually, if I sort of remember.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're right.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, when you are trying to, you know, sell timber all all around the country and you're trying to run a national operations team.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, give us a bit of a rundown of your career, and I know it's quite an interesting one starting off with Coles, I believe.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, uh you know, most people that end up in retail have started off um probably pushing trolleys, and that's how my career started was pushing trolleys when I was 15 years of age, and um, you know, then uh had the opportunity to sort of have uh a long-term career with Coles.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um went on push trolleys, um, you know, ended up getting into some department management, um, you know, some leadership style roles within Coles.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: I moved all around the state with Coles, um, ended up becoming a store manager for them across um many stores from anywhere from Port Douglas Cairns all the way down to sort of into Brisbane.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I spent 14, just over 14 years um with that company.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: It was a company that, you know, really taught you how to manage a business well.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's a business that is run on tight margins, you know, very um reduced costs.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to be really savvy around, you know, managing a supermarket when when you're pretty much making one cent in every dollar that you make on the bottom line.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: So that gave me the opportunity to, you know, manage a business well.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, I got to a point of my career where I was looking at a bit of a change and um there was a big green shed that uh came along into Australia and launched.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: I had the opportunity to jump on board with uh with Bunnings um in the operations team and came across as a complex manager with Bunnings back in sort of 2002, just after the Howard Smith um takeover of West Fox.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: So they went from a few stores to pretty much doubled overnight with the Active Hardware um back in those days.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then um had a really great career with Bunnings, you know.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: I think that was the highlight of my career so far, you know, definitely was six over 16 years with Bunnings um as complex manager, running stores, then moving into area manager roles um within Queensland.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then I had probably the opportunity in the fortunate position to, you know, jump on and become the state operations manager for Queensland and did that for six years, where it was really the time of growth within Queensland.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think we opened close to over 20 stores in that six years.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: We also saw uh a competitor come along.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, masters came along, we saw them come along and go in that time as well.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: So it was a real time of career where it was just hard-knock retailing.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you're getting into the trenches with the team, you know, you're developing the team for long-term success.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, you really had to, and with the growth that we were having at the same time, you know, we had to make sure that we had some really solid plans in place.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, so ended up um, yeah, there doing that for six years and then uh had the opportunity to jump into more of a national role with Bunnings as the National Safety and Wellness Manager for Australia and New Zealand.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I do have a passion for physical fitness and also mental fitness as well.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: So it's sort of aligned with a lot of the values that I have personally.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but got to a point where I, like ever all of us in our careers, we we hit a sort of a not a bit of a roadblock, but you know, we start to think about as we get older, you know, what is our purpose and what is our vision and you know, where do we want to see ourselves?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: And um I sort of took some time out.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'd owned a CrossFit gym on the side in a partnership as well at the same time.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I took some time out, uh, let ended up leaving Bunnings, which was a hard decision to to make, and then took a couple of years out during COVID and set up a personal training studio.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: I was working with people with a disability, and that was really rewarding.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: It felt like I was giving back to the community in a in another way.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: So did that for a little while, but then you know, like we all do when we sort of when we're always been in operations or you know what you do within sales, you thrive off connections and networks and linking in with people and chatting to people like we're doing today.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was missing that in the PT space.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I had the opportunity to jump on board with uh TX, which is the home of blue-collar counseling in Australia.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's a non-for-profit organization founded by the guys that found a Trademark Workwear brand.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it was a it was a great opportunity to work with a social purpose and a social impact organization that's giving back to the blue-collar space.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: That, you know, when I think about it, the blue collar space gave a lot to me in my Bunnings days.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I had the opportunity to give it back um in my TX days as well.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I ended up becoming the was the co-CEO there at TX, spent three years um, and then made the decision to sort of, you know, have another change.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: And um I've ended up at MyGaps, which is apprentices and trainees.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we're a GTO, so a group training organization, and we employ um, you know, close to 400 apprentices all around this great country of ours.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: And um, there is also our my a My Training brand that sits underneath that, which focuses on mental health first aid training, and then we have a My Recruit or Recruitment Arm to help businesses recruit trade trainees.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: So um so that's where my career it's been many different roles.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: I met many different people, but I think you know, one thing that's um always kept me grounded is is the relationships that you build along the way, like our relationship that we have.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: They're the sort of things that really are a payback when you have a sort of a long career like with myself, working with big organizations and you know, running my own as well.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a great unpack, Jason.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And one thing that stands out for me, uh how old were you when you started managing your first coal store?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just uh I just turned I was 23, heading on to 24 when I managed my first uh coal store.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, even as in I was in my 30s when I was running Queensland as in in Bunnings.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think it it it's I I a lot of my career is probably stems from, you know, my childhood and you know, growing up, um mum and dad owned um road a roadhouse up in North Queensland.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, when I was eight years of age, I was pumping fuel on the side of the pumping fuel at the roadhouse because that was before we it was self-served.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, actually got service back then.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I used to have good old days, yeah.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I still remember I was saying to somebody only the other day, I remember having a step that I could stand and wash the windscreen, and that was when you had to get oil to put oil in your car on a regular basis.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, you used to get those glass bottles with the funnels on top and fill them up and then go and fill up.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: No, those guys were yeah or mate, no knowing you, uh knowing you now, you were probably upselling as you went without even realizing it.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: So trying to one of the things that I still remember about that was um, and I think that's something that dad sort of instilled in us.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Every afternoon we used to have to face this little general store up, like face it up, and you know, ended up doing that at Coles as well.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's all about presentation, it's all about full, clean, and tidy.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's it's like anything when you when you're in that retail space, you've got to be in stock, provide great customer service, but you need to have a great team around you.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I was definitely fortunate um in my Coles days and my Bunnings days that I had some great people around me.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, look, and I and I think I sort of reflect back to uh I was uh 17, nearly 18 when I started my uh traineeship.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, just fresh out of school, no idea on what I wanted to do.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it it as a you know, I was working in a timber yard and a trust fabrication business, and I always remember being I was nearly not even 18, and here I am walking out into this factory and timber yard and and more or less giving the guys that were like 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years old the orders and saying do this, you know.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's quite confronting for the younger generation, and it's probably a good lead-in to what we're talking about today, because I mean you hear a lot of stories about the difficulties and the challenges on, you know, of going to site and and what that can be like in some cases for a 16, 17-year-old, you know.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's really, and this is why I'm so passionate about supporting the uh apprenticeship and the trainees here.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's the next generation, but they need help and support.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: So tell us a little bit about what's happening now.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to us about the MyGas story and talk to us about what's coming up for you guys in the next few weeks.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: So MyGas has been around for 37 years.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of the only national-based GTOs or organizations that, you know, recruit and you know, employ apprentices.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we we have host businesses that come along and go, you know, we're looking for apprentices, and then MyGas will go out, recruit them, um, employ them and take on the responsibility, but then we they're at that host employer.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: And as I said at the start, you know, we've got close to 400 apprentices all around this country.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, being in the in the TAX space as well, I used to do a lot of visits to TAFE around mental health and you know, apprentices, you know, represent quite a large cohort of um of who was ringing in for mental health support through the TAX line.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: So being on that another side and seeing a different angle of apprentices, it's it really comes back down to the support they they get, you know, whether or not that's through their employer, whether it's through their family, whether it's through, you know, their mentors that they have, their their teachers that occasionally still hear the stories and the horror stories around you know the bullying that happens and you know how they get treated.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it blows my mind because everyone who's a trade has been an apprentice.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: So they've been through their own own journey.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we have the opportunity, you know, we we have got a skill shortage in this country, you know, there's no doubt about that.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think I heard a quote that, you know, just in Queensland alone, we're probably 78,000 tradies short, you know, in the in the next few years with um, you know, with the Olympics and the infrastructure and the roads infrastructure, but that's just just Queensland.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: That's not taking into consideration New South Wales, Victoria, WA.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: There's so much infrastructure that's got to be built, but we need tradies to be able to do it.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I still remember coming through to in my age, coming through, you know, it was either if you wanted to get a career, you had to go to go to university, get a degree, and then, you know, no one ever uses the degree.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think what a trade does for people, it gives them a life skill that they can utilize.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's pretty universal, whether or not, you know, they want to use it out in Australia or they want to get accreditation and travel around around the world.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: That skill goes with them.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and I what we're starting to see is a little bit more mature age apprentices coming on board.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they've probably gone off and done either their uni or they've gone and they didn't know what they wanted to do after school, and then they've realized that you know they want to be a boilermaker, they want to be a diesel mechanic, they want to be an electrician.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we're I think we've got to sort of you know go back and and really focus on, you know, there is a need for apprentices, and we've got a skill shortage and a trainees.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: So then how do we bring them on board?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: And and you know, how do we bring on not just the, you know, not just male but female apprentices as well?
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: And we're starting to see some growth in female apprenticeships, which is great.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: Nowhere near it where it needs to be.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that there's a lot of work being done, but I think employers need to look at, you know, putting the investment in from year one.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we do see signs and hear people reaching out at different times going, I'm after a third or fourth year apprentice, or I'm after a second, third, fourth year apprentice.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, well, no, get them from the start, invest the time in that first year.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, you've got to, you know, you've got to take them along the journey and you've there's sort of you've got to be there with them 100% of the time, but have the investment because then that gives you your future, your your future trades.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think um I think there's still got a lot of bit a lot of work to be done from a policy perspective, from an incentive perspective from the federal government as well, um, to you know, encourage and to educate employers and investment in an apprentice now who'll pay dividends off later on in in their careers as well.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Look, you're you're right.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I suppose I don't know about you, but I mean time goes so fast.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, next thing, you know, people are you know, oh I want to get someone in their third or fourth year.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, get them on the job, give them a start.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: I I mean look, certainly no expert in this field, but I've you know, I've got young, young daughters and and they've just been through school and personally I still think the school system's broken.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot that it can change.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I know my daughters um you know, I recommended that they do, you know, uh diplomas and certificates and that during their year twelve now, where the kids can actually come out of high school with these certificates and these diplomas.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think in general, I mean, there's a great opportunity to do that.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think if you look back yourself, um and I know everyone's got a different story, when you're 16, 17 years old or 18 years old, a lot of people still don't know what they want to do.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: They're not sure, they're not given, you know, good good guidance, or or maybe it's not, you know, we keep hearing that oh, it's not attractive when you're doing your training.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, even though long term as a trade, a tradeie or or an apprentice, um, you you know, you can it can be a great l you know, launch for your career long term, but it's really that sort of from what I hear anyway, it's that short-term benefits.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, what's your perspective on that?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I think that well, one thing I look at from an apprenticeship is that you know, you get a pretty good qualification at the end of it.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: It can be very rewarding from a financial perspective as well.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, the first few years are a little bit tighter, a little bit tougher.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, not not to sort of put the university side of the schooling system down, but as a trade, you're getting paid to learn.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: You don't end up with a hex debt at the end of it that you're paying off for the next, you know, 10 or 15 years.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, you come out with the trade.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: And if you want to go and do a double trade, you can quite easily have the opportunity to do that.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I think um, you know, having a wife that was in the school system and seen very first hand, you know, the school system that's out there, I think there just needs to be a little bit more education around, you know, the possibilities and the availability of what apprentices can apprenticeships can do, um, but also what that can do for your long-term career.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: As I said, you can always you you're always going to have that trade with you.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter what it is.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: I've got a brother-in-law that's a boilermaker and you know, he's been in and out, done different management rob jobs working in retail and other things, but he's always got that trade.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: And if he ever got to a point where he went, okay, you know what, I wouldn't mind going back on the tools, he can go do that.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: And they're sought after.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a tradies are sought after, you know, and um, you know, some of the dollars that some apprentices, uh, sorry, full qualified tradies can earn, it's pretty good coin to be able to set them up or set their families up, set themselves up financially as well.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: But I think there just needs to be a bit more education, as I think I think policy needs to, government needs to look at the policy that they have around it, how do they incentivize employers to bring on incentives, you know, like this is a skill shortage.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: We just can't keep bringing people in that are not skilled and not skilled labor into the country.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So we've got to think about how do we, you know, develop within.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I think there's great opportunities.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: And and it's great, you know.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: I hear I talk to TAFE a lot, and you know, they'll have apprentices there at training from the age of 15 right up to the age of nearly 60, where, you know, people in their in their 50s and 60s are going, you know what, I I just want to go and learn a trade now that I I've got that, and then I can go and you know, finish my retirement years doing that trade.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: And they're probably in a bit of a better financial position, you know, because they've they've had their career, but they want to go do something else.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: So they can live off an apprentice wage or a mature apprentice wage.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's a number of different things.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think everyone needs the industry needs to come together.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the shortfall is not going away anytime soon, and there is a lay massive labor shortage.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: And we know what's coming.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, so I think there's a lot that needs to be done.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely, you know, there's no doubt that um everyone wants to be an electrician.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's um that's a very common um apprenticeship uh that people are sought that are sought after, but there's uh companies are after electricians as well.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um definitely seeing in the manufacturing space a lot more sort of uh, you know, fitters, the old boilermakers, and you know, those terminologies have definitely changed a lot over time as well through class classifications and you know what the certificate they get at the end of that.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's no doubt that you the rising that we're seeing in energy renewables, we're starting to see a lot more of that happening where apprenticeships are starting to appear in in the renewable space.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Even things like you know, um security from a security perspective, security cameras, and there's there's uh opportunities for people to get down, go down that path.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: So there's all this newer sort of up-to-date technology, and like as I said, renewables and security and that sort of thing, where are starting to attract apprenticeships.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, caravan building, you know, you hear occasionally coming up as well.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I think there's l so many apprenticeships out there that you know, you can go down the other uh the non-sort of um sort of physical trades when I say that is you know, hairdressers and the like as well.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: But when you look at um definitely manufacturing, definitely construction, um, you know, and definitely within that sort of energy sector are sort of the three sort of hot topics at the moment.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: And that that sort of lines in with infrastructure, road building, stadium building when it comes to um, you know, when we look start looking at uh the Olympics here in Brisbane.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Just um give us a bit of a rundown or just uh a bit of an update on the apprenticeship week itself, your involvement, and I know you um yeah, I've been fortunate to get uh invitation, thank you, to uh to a function coming up in the next few weeks as well.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, National Apprenticeship Week um, you know, was launched in 2022.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: It was launched by uh MyGas, um, Apprentices and Trainees.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, David, our CEO, um back then, you know, saw that there was no sort of designated week or campaign in Australia that focused on uh recognizing apprentices and trainees, which, you know, when you think about it is pretty crazy because we have so many weeks and days that celebrate so many different things, but we were not celebrating and recognizing the future workforce of this country.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, the UK does it really well, they've been doing it for 20 plus years, the US does it.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: So David had this sort of the foresight to go, well, okay, if no one's gonna do it, let's go and do it ourselves.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's it's powered the National Apprenticeship Week is a national campaign, but it's sort of powered by My Gas and the team there.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, this year we're sort of really focused on building and getting the national presence through national uh through National Apprenticeship Week.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really a week for employers and people in the industry and and government to take that step back and go, we're going to recognize and acknowledge apprentices.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: And it could be through through social media, it could be, you know, we've got a campaign that we've been running for a number of years now called Give a Shout.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: So it's an opportunity for employers to just go and give a shout, whether they go and shout their apprentice a cup of coffee that week or shout McCauldy at the end of the end of the shift, or you know, just take them out for lunch or just acknowledge them in front of all their peers and supervisors.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a way just to sort of for for everyone just to sort of say, stop.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's let's think about apprentices and how we treat them.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: How can we recognize them?
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: But it's also an opportunity to recognize employers that do take on apprentices.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it blows my mind sometimes.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: We've got some national organisations out there that are right in that manufacturing sort of industry space that don't have any apprentices at all.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: And you can't rely on everybody else to be doing the training of your team, you know, and then you come along and and do that.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: So it's an opportunity to recognize employers and and um the weeks, it's a week-long event.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's run from the 9th of February to the 15th of February.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's the same week every year, so it aligns internationally with um what we do, what happens in the UK and the US.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's just a chance just to take a step back.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, we've been really great this year.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: We've got some national organizations that have jumped on board.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: We've we've um had Subway Australia jump on board and support us with a with a TAFE event that we're having in Southeast Queensland.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Bunnings Trade have jumped on board, which is great.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're be conducting barbecues all around in every state, going out to taste and acknowledging apprentices and then really really uplifting the campaign from a national perspective.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: We've had the Queensland government, which we're really grateful for, jump on board and sponsor as a Queensland partner and help fund the luncheon that we've got planned, which is a sort of the start of the week on the Tuesday, we sort of launched that with um with a luncheon with where we bring industry together and we have that opportunity to sort of you know reflect on you know what apprentices and trainees mean for this country.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: And um yeah and all we're asking for is organizations to jump on board, get to National Apprenticeship Week Australia website, you know, grab down some social media tiles, some some logos, whatever you need, it's all there for them.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: And just promote um National Apprenticeship Week.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Could be as simple as you know if you've got if any of the listeners out there on the podcast today, you know, they've got one apprentice or they've got 50 apprentices or 100 apprentices, go and organise something for them that week, whether you shout them a can of drink and say thanks.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: Some of those little things just go such a long way.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: And that's all we're asking for.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: And if people want to jump on board and support in that way, reach out to us.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: There's all the details on on the website and um you know we'll chuck you on board and and acknowledge you as a supporter for national apprenticeship where you can, you know, we've got a really good handle of it now.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a lot of work to get us where we are now for for 2026.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: We're really aiming for 2027 to you know put a rocket ship underneath this and really launch it.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's close to the last stats was is that we have over 35000 apprentices um around Australia.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: But unfortunately the the dropout rate is still quite high.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: And um you know there's a lot that's got to be done around that.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: So let's just take the time out acknowledge recognise celebrate what they actually their input to our economy and what they give and then you know hopefully we can have a really good week and then you know get a lot of businesses on board to be able to support it and shout it from the rooftops.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's great Jason uh yeah big thank you to all the the companies and the industries and the government that's been involved in supporting this great cause I I think again for me you know being a an ex-trainee and and working you know with companies that do invest in the next generation I think as I said everyone every business every leader really needs to play their part because this problem's not going away let's talk a little bit about the the dropout rates.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah it it varies across different trades you know um different trades in different states it does vary you know you could see anywhere up to a 20-30% you know um you know turnover of apprentices in depending on what industry it is and some are even larger than that as well.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know for us as a as a group training organization, you know, we employ four hosts but we have field offices on the ground that are allocated to all our hosts and they do regular check-ins with our um with our apprentices because they are our apprentices essentially we employ them and you know the the the host will pay a service fee for us to manage that for them.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: But what we see is we do see a higher retention for apprentices that are in a group training organization.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of that comes back down to the the mentorship that they get and the field officer on the ground, checking in with them on a regular basis.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: If they're going through a bit of a rough patch they'll see it in four weeks' time.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we know that you know that the next generation and definitely um more traditional for males we bottle things up and um you know we don't like sharing how we're feeling and what we're doing.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we've got to break down that barrier first as well as get let everyone know that it is okay not to be okay.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: If things aren't going well then you know put your hand up and and address it.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: But I really do think that a lot of it comes back down to you know the support that they get and that one-on-one support.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I think if we can really ramp that up, get more people connected to their apprentices, understanding what they're going through, um, help them guide them through because I ended up interviewing 21 apprentices and that we got my soul got fired up.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: It got lit again listening to these apprentices and their stories and their passion of wanting to do the trade that they do like I asked the first question I'd ask him in the interview as a panelist is why did you do take on the apprenticeship?
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: What made you do that apprenticeship?
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then when you hear them talk about why they wanted to be a diesel mechanic or why they wanted to be a plumber or why they wanted to do you know be a out on the gas pipeline out of Shell QGC as a well well site operator it just it just blows your mind.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's like all of us we have a passion for something and and these young people have and and mature age as well have found what their passion is and I think um you know I think there's so many great things that apprentices do give to us but it's how we support them in return.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: I look couldn't agree more and look for me personally uh you know big shout out to to David Jones who was my mentor back in 1990.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: Back then with Tabmar Timber and Building Materials Association now National Timber and Hardware Association very grateful for my experience in Sydney coming from the country again talking about you know I learned a lot it was an eye-opening experience I I could have done better from a studied perspective but again having that mentor David Jones is very well known in the industry very highly respected and I do love the work that the uh NTHA does in our building materials manufacturing segments again because we need more people we need the younger generation I do greatly appreciate your time today.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything you want to just throw in quickly about uh yeah how anyone else can get involved you've already given us some really good information there.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah yeah just um turn over to National Apprenticeship Week uh website across our social um platforms as well and you know I just want to say isn't it amazing that we all remember the person that gave us that initial go and you know I think that there's a lot of reflection in that is about when you're in an opportunity and you've been given an opportunity in any sort of leadership or management role that someone gave us a start at some particular stage and then we have the opportunity to do that as well as we grow through our careers.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: And you know I think that's the impact that we can have as leaders and as experienced managers or whatever role it is, it doesn't have to be anything of seniority.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how did we get do how can we repay that favor that someone gave to us to somebody else coming through and I think that's a great way for us to get more apprentices on board and to be able to give them a start.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and even where I work with sales um new people entering into sales I mean you know if anyone's listening to this and if I can add any value to help your sales career always reach out.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a it's so good to be able to give back and and I think that's where a lot of the new generation is missing out unfortunately is having that mentor and that person to even if it's someone from outside their business and because yeah it's not an it's not easy.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: But again great to catch up with you Jace and uh we'll catch up with you shortly.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks mate appreciate it got a product that's struggling or launching something new reach out we're inviting guests who want to make a real impact