Frequently Asked Questions for Employers

• How can Southern Group Training help my business?

  Southern Group Training handles all the apprentice recruitment, screening, employment and management of the apprentices training saving you time and reducing your costs.

• Who can use Southern Group Trainings’ services?

  Any company/business/organisation which is able to provide appropriate and relevant on job training.

• What apprenticeships does Southern Group Training provide for?

  As a group training company Southern Group Training will employ apprentices to meet the needs of any industry sector.

  Southern Group Training has employed / managed apprentices in industries as diverse as butchery to bricklaying, plumbing to printing and roofing to retail.

• Who actually employs the apprentice?

  Southern Group Training employs the apprentice and is responsible for the various employment related matters including the payment of the apprentices wages, PAYE, Kiwisaver and ACC levies.

  The apprentice is ‘contracted’ to the host company who is responsible for providing the practical on job training. The apprentices are contracted to host companies for a minimum of 6 months.

  Generally apprentices are hosted by the one host company for the entirety of their apprenticeship. If however a host company has insufficient ongoing work or is unable to provide all of the practical training required Southern Group Training will place the apprentice with another suitable host company.

• How can Southern Group Training afford to do this?

  Southern Group Training employs the apprentice and is responsible for the various employment related matters including the payment of the apprentices wages, PAYE, and ACC levies.

  Southern Group Training invoices the Host Company on a fortnightly basis to recover the costs involved in the employment and training of the apprentice.

  As a non-profit company Southern Group Training seeks only to recover the actual costs involved.

  The host company is only invoiced for the hours the apprentice spends in the workplace.

• Who selects the apprentice?

  Southern Group Training provides a recruitment, screening and short listing service while allowing the host company to make the final selection of the apprentice who best suits their needs.

• Can I transfer an existing apprentice to Southern Group Training?

  Absolutely.

  Companies transfer apprentices for a variety of reasons, these may include closure or downsizing of the company, insufficient number of tradesmen to provide training or a company simply wishing to divest itself of the hassles of apprenticeship management and employment while still wishing to retain the services of the apprentice

• Can I ‘promote’ an existing employee into an apprenticeship?

  Yes, as long as they meet Southern Group Trainings’ usual employment criteria.

  Southern Group Training currently employs a number of apprentices who have ‘worked’ their way into an apprenticeship.

• Who is responsible for providing the apprentices training?

  Southern Group Training is responsible for coordinating and managing the apprentices training.

  The on job training is provided by the host company which would need to have a suitably qualified tradesperson available to provide the practical training.

  The host company would also need to have the appropriate plant and equipment to enable the apprenticeship training to be carried out.

  The off job training is arranged by Southern Group Training which ensures that the apprentice has a copy of the appropriate training manual, apprentices may complete their off job theory training through evening class and/or block course and/or distance learning (correspondence) and/or e-learning.

  Southern Group Training ensures that the apprentice also undergoes regular employment assessments, has regular work place assessments and makes steady progress towards the successful completion of their qualification.

• What happens if our company can’t provide all the necessary on job training?

  Southern Group Training will arrange for the apprentice to spend some time with another company which is able to provide the necessary training.

• Who arranges for the work place assessments?

  Some host companies have their own qualified work place assessors and prefer to use them to assess the apprentices on job training.

  Others prefer to have Southern Group Training arrange for the work place assessments to be completed. We provide qualified assessors in a number of industry sectors.

• How long do I have to contract an apprentice for?

  Generally the minimum secondment period is for six months so as to allow the apprentice sufficient time to build up their competency levels with the particular tasks they have been given to do and complete the associated work place assessment.

  The majority of host companies contract an apprentice for the entirety of their apprenticeship training period.

• What happens if we don’t have sufficient work for the apprentice?

  If the host company has insufficient ongoing work Southern Group Training will place the apprentice with another suitable host company.

• What happens to the apprentices when they finish their apprenticeship?

  The apprentice is on a fixed term contract with Southern Group Training for the duration of their apprenticeship after which they are available for employment by the host company or any other company seeking to employ qualified staff.

  Once the apprentice has completed all of the requirements of their qualification they are given one months notice to enable both them and their host company sufficient time to negotiate their employment as a fully qualified tradesperson.

  Some of our Graduate Apprentices can be seen here.