The Welcome Project: From high turnover to long-term talent

*The Employer Innovation Lab helps employers create pathways for young people without degrees, with support from the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the Macquarie Group Foundation.

For host employers, hiring apprentices should be a pathway to building a skilled, reliable workforce. Too often though, young workers drop out before they can contribute long-term, leaving businesses searching for new hires. 

As a Group Training Organisation (GTO), My Gateway had firsthand experience; ‘The Welcome Project’ was launched as part of SVA’s Employer Innovation Lab to address these challenges. Their pilot focussed on refreshing their onboarding system to set young workers up for success and improved retention.

The results were a 78% positive feedback rate from apprentices, greater engagement from employers, and a system set to benefit approximately 150 newly hired young people each year.  

The workforce challenges 

Founded in 1982, My Gateway is a Sydney-based GTO connecting apprentices and trainees with host employers across various industries – from construction, electrical, automotive, business administration, childcare and, horticulture, to manufacturing. 

As a GTO, My Gateway employs apprentices directly and places them with host employers for their on-the-job training and supervision whilst retaining responsibility for their wages, off-the-job training, compliance, and pastoral care. The setup offers stability for apprentices and simplifies the hiring process for businesses—it comes however with challenges, particularly around onboarding, retention, and ensuring host employers provide the right support. 

By 2022, My Gateway was seeing a worrying trend—apprentices were struggling to adjust, many were dropping out, and recruitment was becoming harder. Businesses reported concerns about turnover, lack of job readiness, and the struggle of onboarding apprentices who had little workplace experience. 

They needed a better way to set young workers up for success. 

Rethinking onboarding 

The Welcome Project, a pilot created as part of the Employer Innovation Lab, was designed to solve three key issues: attracting apprentices, as fewer young people were applying; keeping them on board, with many dropping out before their first year was up; and ensuring they had the right support.

As a third-party GTO, My Gateway, isn’t present in the day-to-day interactions between apprentices and their workplace supervisors. To turn things around, they focused on changing the onboarding process, making it more structured, engaging, and feedback-driven—helping apprentices settle in and giving employers the tools to support them better. 

In practice, this meant introducing practical, high-impact changes, including:

A revamped induction process: New apprentices got a clearer introduction to the workplace, covering role expectations, workplace culture, and who to turn to for support.
The GROW coaching model: My Gateway staff were trained to mentor and guide apprentices in a better way, ensuring new workers had someone to turn to for advice and encouragement.
A structured Stay survey: My Gateway replaced anecdotal feedback with a formal survey, helping them track apprentice progress, identify concerns early, and make improvements.
Better employer-apprentice connections: Host employers received guidance on best practices for supporting new apprentices, leading to stronger retention and engagement.

The Employer Innovation Lab has helped us provide an improved service and nurture our apprentices and trainees better.” Katie Boland • Field Representative, My Gateway

The quick wins

The impact was immediate.  

Apprentices reported feeling more confident and supported, while host employers noticed real improvements in how My Gateway helped young workers adjust. 

The changes weren’t beneficial only for apprentices; they made a noticeable difference for businesses, with smoother transitions and better staff engagement.

More engaged apprentices: Young workers felt better prepared and supported, leading to fewer dropouts and great commitment to their roles.

Stronger relationships with employers: Host businesses reported smoother onboarding, better communication, and a more structured approach to supporting young workers.

More confident staff: My Gateway’s team is now better equipped to guide apprentices, with targeted training giving them the tools to provide ongoing support.

Key takeaways for employers

Invest in onboarding: A structured welcome process builds confidence and engagement from day one
Support mentors and supervisors: Train staff to guide young workers effectively leads to better retention. 
Use structured feedback tools: Surveys like the Stay survey help identify issues early, before they lead to dropouts.

Strengthen employer-apprentice relationships: ongoing support between training providers and businesses makes a real difference. 
Allocate internal resources: Plan for staff time and program develop

What’s next

The Welcome Project is now a core part of in My Gateway’s business operations, with a goal of supporting 150 newly hired apprentices and trainees over the next year.

Looking ahead, My Gateway is:

Rolling out a Supervisor Handbook to equip employers with best mentoring practices

Expanding the Stay survey to gather structured feedback and improve retention strategies.

The team is also broadening outreach efforts, attending school events and expos, connecting with recent school leavers and students, to strengthen the pipeline of future apprentices.