Apprenticeship Retention Strategies

The first 90 days decide IF early talent stay OR start looking elsewhere... If you want them to hit the ground running and stay... Your onboarding can’t just be death by powerpoint It needs 3 critical ingredients: ✅ Fun Gamified, immersive learning sparks engagement + builds confidence. 📌 Tip: Ditch passive presentations. Instead, set interactive “missions” in Week 1, like “Shadow a team member and present 3 things you learned.” ✅ Empathy Onboarding isn’t about policies. It’s about helping young talent navigate a world that’s completely different to when many of us started. Today’s grads + apprentices are starting work shaped by: - Years of disrupted education during the pandemic - Constant social media comparison and pressure - Soaring cost of living stresses 📌 Tip: Equip managers with conversation starters and training on what it’s like to be a young professional in 2025 and how to build trust and understanding from Day 1. ✅ Real world impact The best onboarding doesn’t just "inform" early talent it equips them to succeed in real-world situations, fast. Most young people have spent years studying theory. What they haven't learned are practical work skills like: - How to run a meeting without rambling - How to ask for feedback without feeling awkward - How to manage their time in a hybrid/remote environment 📌 Tip: Instead of overwhelming them create bite-sized skill sessions or gamified challenges focused on key skills/behaviours. When onboarding includes these three things, magic happens: - Managers engage early (and stay engaged) - Grads/apprentices feel confident from Day 1 - Retention and satisfaction scores rise When using this approach I saw: - 66% boost in line manager confidence at M&S - 100% increase in apprentice work readiness at Accenture You don't just "onboard" early talent. You shape their loyalty and their future. Want a FREE resource with details of how to implement all of these tips (plus three bonus line manager resources perfect for onboarding)?! Comment ONBOARDING and I'll send you the link!

The best early career retention strategy I’ve seen for students? Teaching them before day 1 of the job. Students aren’t just thinking about settling into their first job anymore. They’re thinking about what comes next - career paths, upskilling, and whether there’s real mobility within the organization. That’s why forward-thinking early career teams are pulling these conversations into pre-boarding. The goal is to plant the right seeds early by: → Sharing stories of growth across departments, emphasizing mobility’s importance to the company → Increasing knowledge sharing with the students about new opportunities → Identifying skills to help them ramp, and grow faster Companies like Danaher Corporation and Koch Industries are already doing this well, explaining the opportunities and why young talent should join.  It’s a flywheel: the more education you can provide, the longer people stay. Starting early is the compounding advantage. 

The average age of a welder in America’s shipyards is 57. These are the men and women who literally build the ships that safeguard our nation. For decades, shipbuilding was a calling not just a job. Welders wore their work like a badge of honor, proudly saying, “I built that ship.” But somewhere along the way, that pride dimmed. Too often, welding is now seen as just another job. And too often, young people walk into the shipyard… only to walk back out. The challenge isn’t just finding Gen Z. The challenge is keeping them. Here’s what makes the difference: Storytelling — show the real people behind the ships, the purpose of their work, and the pride in what they build. Purpose — connect the work to something bigger than a paycheck: protecting our country, supporting families, carrying on a legacy. Pathways — make sure young welders see a future, from apprentice to journeyman to leader. If we can reignite pride, shipbuilding becomes more than work again. It becomes a career, a community, and a calling for a new generation. This is how we restore not just a workforce but a legacy. This is what I focus on every day: helping companies attract Gen Z, keep them engaged, and restore pride in the trades through storytelling, purpose, and clear pathways. If your organization is ready to move from recruitment to retention, let’s connect. #skilledtrades #jointhetrades #bluecollar #STAC