How-to guideApprentices

How to keep apprentices past second year

Apprentices mostly quit over the site, and the site is the part you control. Keep yours through the second-year slump and all the way to their ticket.

Published 4 minute read7 sources cited

In brief

  • About half of Australian apprentices never finish, and an unsupportive boss or site is the most common reason they give for leaving.
  • Brief your crew before a new apprentice starts, and show them what is coming up so the theory matches the job.
  • Second year is where motivation drops. Give them real responsibility then, such as ordering and concrete quantities.
  • Little and often on book work, pay rises tied to progress, and an eye out for sudden changes keep most apprentices on track.

Best suited to: Builders and supervisors who employ or host carpentry apprentices, at any size

You spend a year teaching an apprentice the basics, and then they leave in second year. Around half of all Australian apprentices don’t finish their training.1 The fixes are mostly cheap, and most of them happen on site.

National survey work puts an unsupportive manager, supervisor or workplace ahead of pay as the most common reason former apprentices give for walking away.2 That’s good news for a builder, because the site is the part you control.

1. Brief the crew before day one

One builder sat his whole team down before a new apprentice started, explained what he expected of them and asked what he’d missed. The apprentice thrived.3 Your crew decides whether a first-year feels welcome or feels like the target. Tell them who is starting, who looks after them, and what you won’t put up with.

Make support visible before anyone needs it. Put the MATES in Construction and TIACS details on the site board and mention them at induction.2

You’re done when every person on the crew knows who the apprentice is, who their go-to person is, and where the support numbers live.

2. Show them the next two weeks

A New Zealand apprentice said the most useful thing a boss could do is put a two week programme on a whiteboard. Then he could look up the spec for the next task, such as ply nailing, before it happened, and his study lined up with the job.4 Apprentices learn faster when they know what’s coming.

Talk to their training provider too. A missing link between the assessor and the employer is a common problem. When the assessor tells the boss which skills are missing, the boss can put the apprentice on that work.5

You’re done when the apprentice can see the next fortnight’s work and you know which skills their assessor still needs to sign off.

3. Slow down at set stages to teach

Price pressure pushes everyone to rush, and when everyone rushes the apprentice gets no one-on-one time. Duayne Pearce’s business tells the team at set stages of a job to slow down and teach.1 Pick those stages ahead of time, such as set out, frame and fix, so it’s planned and doesn’t depend on whether the day is going well.

Let them see how the trades connect, and let them make small mistakes where it is safe to do so.5

You’re done when your programme marks two or three teaching stages per job and the leading hand knows they’re expected to use them.

4. Make book work little and often

The biggest misconception among apprentices is that turning up gets you qualified. A New Zealand apprenticeship educator suggests half an hour to an hour of book work a week, rather than a cram before every assessor visit.5 Set a fixed time for it. Some bosses sit down once a month when they do their bills.

You’re done when book work has a set slot in the week and the next assessor visit is not a panic.

5. Plan for the second-year dip

Year one feels fast because everything is new. Year two slows down and can feel like the same jobs on repeat. One NZ apprentice described exactly that dip, and said what lifted it was being given ordering and concrete quantity work.4

So hand over a piece of the job they own in second year: a materials order, a small deck, the set out on a simple slab. Check it, but let them run it.

You’re done when your second-year apprentice has one task each week that is theirs from start to finish.

6. Tie pay rises to progress

One NZ crew set pay rises at 20, 35 and 50 to 60 per cent of the way through the apprenticeship. That gave the apprentice a reason to keep signing off unit standards.6 Write the steps down so the apprentice knows what the next rise depends on.

Know what outside money is around as well. From 1 July 2025 the federal government pays eligible apprentices in housing trades $10,000 in five instalments, on top of their wages.7 Check the current rules before you count on it.

Federal payment to the apprentice Amount
After 6 months $2,000
After 12 months $2,000
After 24 months $2,000
After 36 months $2,000
On completion $2,000

You’re done when the apprentice has a written pay ladder linked to their progress.

7. Watch for the sudden drop

When a reliable apprentice’s book work, attendance or effort drops suddenly, assume something is wrong at home or on site, and ask.

The educator quoted above says a sudden drop usually means trouble at home or a conflict at work. Switch from “where’s your book work” to “how are you going”.5 Keep the relationship clear, though. Firm role boundaries are easier to hold than a mates-first culture.5

You’re done when someone checks in with the apprentice the same week you notice a change.

Where to next

Most of these habits are cheap and they work on trades as well as apprentices. Read How to keep good trades when everyone is busy, and if you’re the only one doing all the teaching, How to stop being the bottleneck in your business.

Footnotes

  1. The Good Builder, “Message to Canberra: what builders really need to end apprentices shortage”, The Good Builder (website), 2025. https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/message-to-canberra-what-builders-really-need-to-end-apprentices-shortage/ ↩ ↩2

  2. The Good Builder, “Amenities, Apprentices and Supplier Relationships: What Two Queensland Operators Say Actually Changes Site Culture”, The Good Builder (website), 2026. https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/amenities-apprentices-and-supplier-relationships-what-two-queensland-operators-say-actually-changes-site-culture/ ↩ ↩2

  3. The Good Builder, “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Women Breaking Ground in Carpentry”, The Good Builder (website), 2025. https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/you-cant-be-what-you-cant-see-women-breaking-ground-in-carpentry/ ↩

  4. Luka Thomson, “Why the Trades Are Hard to Break Into: Luka Thomson BBA #16”, Better Builder Podcast, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtYrAheJrRg ↩ ↩2

  5. Paul Carter, “Apprenticeship Educator: Avoiding Burnout & Keeping Apprentices Motivated: Paul Carter BBA #8”, Better Builder Podcast, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsdcRzOFNiY ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  6. Charlie, “What Makes A Good Apprentice: Charlie BBA #17”, Better Builder Podcast, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=517QoBHMuUM ↩

  7. The Good Builder, “$10K Apprentice Incentives Kick Off Today: Backing the Next Generation of Tradies”, The Good Builder (website), 2025. https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/10k-apprentice-incentives-kick-off-today-backing-the-next-generation-of-tradies/ ↩

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