MEGT Australia announces free mentoring program for apprentices aspiring to run their own business

Apprentices who are looking to launch their own businesses can now receive free mentoring and training to develop their business skills.

MEGT Australia today announced an Apprentice to Business Owner program, funded by the Commonwealth government.

MEGT Australia general manager Sue Kent says becoming their own boss was the dream of many apprentices.

But apprenticeship training was mainly focused on developing technical skills, leaving a capacity and confidence gap for aspiring business owners around regulations and tax, payroll and financial plans, as well as workflow and marketing responsibilities.

“Money can be pretty tight when they strike out on their own as well, so the offer of free business management training and free mentor assistance is going to make a significant difference to those that are eligible,” Kent says in a statement.

“A mentor – someone they can talk to that’s been in a similar trade and run a successful small business – can help point them in the right direction.”

The mentors are ex-tradies and have mentored hundreds of apprentices over the past 30 years through the Group Training system.

To be eligible, apprentices need to have successfully completed a nationally recognised qualification in one of the trades listed on the National Skills Needs list. Eligible apprentices also need to be either preparing to launch their own business, or recently have.

You can find out more information here.