Is Hiring an Apprentice or Trainee Affordable?

Yes. Hiring an apprentice or trainee through MIGAS involves no upfront recruitment costs. Your business pays an agreed hourly rate for the hours the apprentice works and studies, and everything else is managed by MIGAS. There are no surprises, and the full rate is confirmed with you before any commitment is made.

How the Costs Work

When you host an apprentice through MIGAS, you are charged a single agreed rate that covers everything associated with the apprentice's employment.

This includes:

The apprentice's wages, paid in line with the relevant Modern Award or your organisation's Enterprise Bargaining Agreement
Superannuation at the mandatory Superannuation Guarantee rate
Workers' compensation insurance
Payroll tax and other employment on-costs
MIGAS Field Officer support, mentoring and pastoral care
Training contract management and coordination with the Registered Training Organisation

MIGAS service fees

Rather than managing each of these obligations separately, your business receives a single consolidated invoice.

This makes budgeting straightforward and removes the administrative complexity that comes with direct employment.

No Upfront Recruitment Costs

MIGAS manages the full recruitment process at no upfront cost to your business. This includes job advertising, candidate screening, aptitude testing, interviews, assessment centres for group intakes, pre-employment medicals, drug and alcohol screening and police checks where required.

You only pay once an apprentice is placed and working with your business.

How Does This Compare to Employing an Apprentice Directly?

At first glance, hosting through a GTO can appear more expensive than direct employment because the hourly rate is higher than the apprentice's base wage. However, that comparison does not account for the true cost of managing an apprentice directly.

When you employ an apprentice yourself, your business absorbs the cost and time associated with recruitment, payroll processing, Award compliance, training contract management, workers' compensation, superannuation administration, performance management and the ongoing coordination with the RTO. For businesses without dedicated HR and payroll resources, these costs add up quickly and are easy to underestimate.

Many host businesses find that the MIGAS hourly rate compares favourably once the full cost of the DIY alternative is properly accounted for.

Particularly Well Suited to Businesses Without Dedicated HR Resources

Group training is an especially practical option for businesses that do not have the internal capacity to manage all the obligations that come with an Australian Apprenticeship. Rather than building that infrastructure, or stretching existing staff to cover it, the GTO model allows your team to focus on what they do best while MIGAS handles the employment and compliance side.

This applies equally to large businesses that want to run a structured apprenticeship program without the overhead, and smaller operations taking on their first apprentice.

Only Need Recruitment Help?

If your business is set up to manage the employment side directly but you need support finding the right candidates, MiRecruit, the trades-specific recruitment division of MIGAS, can help with that too.

From single placements to large group intakes, MiRecruit provides specialist apprentice and trades recruitment without the full GTO arrangement. Find out more at mirecruit.com.au.

Ready to Find Out What it Would Cost for Your Business?

Rates vary depending on the trade, the applicable Award and the size and structure of your program.

Contact the MIGAS team for an obligation-free conversation and a tailored quote based on your specific requirements.