ASGA Partners with MEGT on Apprenticeships

The Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) has announced a new partnership with MEGT Australia, which is set to provide industry businesses with important resources to help them source, recruit and manage apprenticeships. The partnership is an expansion of the association's member services.

MEGT is an Australian NFP that has supported employers, apprentices, trainees, job seekers, and students for over 40 years. It is Australia's largest and only national Apprenticeship Network Provider (ANP), with over 600 staff from over 60 office locations across Australia.

According to ASGA President Mick Harrold, the closer partnership will see MEGT's range of services available to ASGA Members to help them address the current skills shortage and engage new talent, which is essential for the industry's future.

"As anyone watching the industry will know, we have a long-standing commitment to attracting and retaining new talent for the sign and graphics sector, including participation in careers expos, Try-A-Trade activities, industry taster days and of course online resources," Harrold says.

"That investment continues, expanding this year to include our involvement in the sector-wide Sign & Print Career Connections program, which is already promising to drive even further success."

He adds that there is a challenge in finding opportunities for interested young people to pursue industry careers – and a key is encouraging businesses to put on apprentices.

"We know that there is a real shortage of qualified tradespeople in our sector and many others," Harrold says, "and the reality is that those businesses who are waiting for someone who is fully qualified are likely to be waiting for a long time.

"What we can do to address this shortage – and, at the same time, build the future of our industry – is to invest in new talent by employing apprentices and giving them the opportunity to learn, grow and build their careers in our sector.

"MEGT's core purpose is to assist Employers by simplifying the hiring and management of apprentices and trainees, and they provide a range of services to businesses, from group training, to find and guide and labour hire. Their services reduce the complexity of administration, help streamline the talent pipeline, and support a structured learning workplace experience for apprentices," concludes Harrold. 

The new arrangement allows ASGA members more accessible access to the full range of MEGT services. The services range from contracting apprentices to recruitment and even management of apprentices employed by the signage business.

Services and solutions are tailored to the needs of individual businesses, so interested parties should engage with ASGA to find out more about how it could work in their situation.

Access to these expanded services is available to ASGA Members. It is part of a suite of Member Benefits, including Employment Guides, employment and contractor templates, enterprise agreements, WH&S resources, a workplace advice line, webinars and member discounts.

ASGA Members can learn more about the MEGT partnership in a free webinar with the experts from MEGT on Tuesday, 23 April, at 11 am, which will explain the process in detail.

Click here to learn more about this member-only service and register for the webinar. If you are not yet an ASGA Member, you can find out more about ASGA Membership and how to join here.