According to a recent report released by the Queensland government, retail is second only to the business industry in the number of trainees it employs. This comes as no surprise to us at BUSY At Work; the retail industry is rewarding, diverse and provides a variety of employment opportunities. For those of you still wondering, however, here are five reasons why the retail industry is taking on so many trainees.
1. The retail industry is huge
The retail sector currently employs nearly 1.5 million people, making it one of the largest industries in Australia. Furthermore, the retail industry employs the greatest number of young Australian workers aged 15-24 years. This is expected to remain in the future as employment figures in the past five years have increased by 4.6% and are expected to grow by a further 3.7% in the next five years.
With a wide range of occupations in the industry, from sales assistants and retail managers to pharmacists and logistics clerks, the retail sector represents a diverse group of workers with a variety of skills. In order to support the growth of this group, a reliable pool of qualified and experienced workers is necessary. Trainees are able to effectively fill this role; especially as more young people turn to these pathways to secure stable employment.
2. It gives young people the opportunity to develop key skills
Businesses within the retail industry are taking on more trainees because they understand the opportunity they can provide to young people in helping them develop key skills. Young people are realising this as well and are seeking out these pathways in retail employment.
Because there is a wide variety of jobs in the industry, trainees are able to build a range of skills that are both transferable to other careers and useful in everyday life. Stories like Declan’s show that young people can use traineeships to develop useful skills that tap into their interests, such as his passion for surfing leading to valuable experience with popular surf retailer City Beach.
3. It’s a vital employment pathway (particularly in QLD)
Apprenticeships and traineeships provide an important employment pathway, particularly for young Queenslanders. Research shows that nationally, over 84% of apprentices and trainees were employed six months after completing their training.
Research into apprenticeships and traineeships in Queensland reveal that more than a quarter of employers took on apprentices and trainees and of these, 82.7% were satisfied that their apprentices and trainees were obtaining the skills they required through training.
As we can see, it’s clear that apprenticeships and traineeships are an important pathway for young people entering the job market. There are many challenges that young people face when seeking employment, especially due to inexperience and low skill levels, and these are easily overcome with the support that we provide at BUSY. We are committed to delivering these valuable pathways to our young Australians, and this is why we make this process of taking on an apprentice as easy as possible for employers.
4. There’s huge variety in the industry
As previously mentioned, the retail industry is vast, and this allows a large number of trainees to develop key vocational skills. Another important feature of this sector is the variety of avenues available in retail, and the range of jobs and qualifications on offer through traineeships.
There are pathways in the areas of Business, Community Pharmacy, Fast Food Retail, Retail Operations, and Visual Merchandising. Trainees can gain Certificate II qualifications all the way up to Advanced Diplomas in many of these areas. This makes it easy for us at BUSY to match employers with eager trainees, as there’s something for everyone.
5. Incentives and help
Along with the inherent benefit provided by the trainees themselves, there are a number of government incentives to subsidise the cost of training apprentices and trainees. A full list of these incentives can be found here, and one of our staff members can help identify which incentives your business is eligible for.
Traineeships are extremely valuable for young people and for employers, especially considering the nature of the retail sector. Both groups are cluing into the range of benefits they provide to each other, and as a result, there is an increased intake of trainees within the industry. We understand this, and we want to help. Stories like Declan and his school-based traineeship are what we love doing and that’s why we’re here to help employers find the perfect candidate for their business to begin training.
If you’re based in QLD and interested in taking on an apprentice within your business or just want to learn more, contact BUSY At Work on 13 BUSY (13 28 79) or 0421 268 884 (text only).
