Employer
Build a capable, future-ready workforce with Ara
Partnering with Ara helps you develop a skilled, work‑ready team while maintaining productivity and growing your business. Our managed apprenticeship programme provides structured training, mentoring and support, so your workforce builds practical skills while you stay focused on day‑to‑day operations.
How this benefits your business
- Build a skilled workforce aligned to your business needs
- Save time with a structured apprenticeship programme that reduces recruitment and training effort
- Rely on Ara to manage training, assessments and compliance
- Improve staff retention by investing in clear, long‑term career pathways
- Maintain productivity while apprentices learn on the job
- Benefit from industry‑experienced tutors and mentors supporting your apprentice’s skill development
- Use flexible training options that fit around your workplace
Getting your employee started
Onboarding your crew member into an Ara managed apprenticeship is simple. We’ll work with you to enrol them in the programme, create a tailored training plan and support you throughout the process. Your apprentice continues working full-time while learning on the job, ensuring minimal disruption to your business.
Steps to get started:
- Identify which of your employees is ready for apprenticeship training
- Contact us to discuss your business needs and enrolment
- We'll create a training plan aligned with your business and industry standards
- Your apprentice begins work-based learning while completing structured training and assessments at Ara
- We provide continuous support (via tutors and mentors) to ensure progress towards qualification
Frequently asked questions
Apprenticeships are designed to fit around full-time work. Training may include block courses, on-the-job mentoring and assessments, so your employee continues to contribute to your business while gaining skills.
Yes, Apprenticeship Boost provides support for employers to keep and take on new apprentices. It aims to help apprentices to earn and learn while training, so they become skilled practitioners in targeted occupations that are critical to New Zealand’s growth and sustainability.
Apprenticeships are an investment in your workforce, and the course fee is usually paid by the apprentice. While wages are paid as usual, our support helps reduce recruitment and training time, improves staff retention and increases productivity. Some trades may also qualify for government subsidies or funding.
We provide dedicated support including:
- Managing the training plan and assessments
- Providing industry-experienced tutors and mentors
- Tracking apprentice progress
- Ensuring compliance with national standards
Most apprenticeships take three to four years, depending on the trade and the employee’s progress. We work closely with you and your staff to ensure timely completion while maintaining workplace productivity.
Yes. We can support single apprentices or groups of employees, creating customised training plans to suit your business’s needs.
On completion, your employees will gain a nationally recognised trade qualification, demonstrating that they’re fully qualified and work-ready professionals in their field.
Yes. We have a pool of pre-trade graduates who are ready to hit the ground running on day one.