1. Give an opportunity to young people who are technically minded individuals to work towards owing their own business in a structured learning environment.
2. Assist them to enhance their technical skills across a range of ICT and Home Entertainment products.
3. Give Trainees a thorough understanding of what is required to be a good small business operator.
   
4. Allow Trainees to earn their way into a franchise.

Are you ready for an AWA L plate? Ernie’s learner test: Do you have a drivers licence? Can you demonstrate your technical gadget skills in a pre-test? Are you a self starter? Will you do whatever it takes to be successful? Can you sell yourself to us and to customers?  Do you eventually want to be an AWA Franchisee?

The AWA Traineeship Program

• AWA will conduct a fifteen to eighteen (15 - 18) month Traineeship with the selected individual.
• Trainees will be paid a salary of $25,000 inclusive of superannuation for the course of the traineeship.
• Successful candidates will initially spend 3 months working from an AWA office getting experience in various aspects of the business and receive technical training across a range of products that AWA supports.
• At the completion of 3 months, a formal review will be conducted between each individual Trainee and AWA.  At this meeting it will be decided if the trainee is suitable to operate a company owned franchise and for the traineeship to continue.
• If successful the Trainee will be allocated a company owned Franchise territory in a major metropolitan area. AWA will provide the Trainee with a vehicle and set them up with all the tools required to operate as a Franchisee.
• AWA will then mentor and support the Trainee in the running of a company owned franchise thus providing on the job training.
• Registration for and successful completion of the Certificate IV in Business is mandatory. This course of study must be completed in parallel with the operation of the franchise as the course assignments will directly relate to the business.
• Every three months, a formal review will be conducted with the Trainee on the operation of the franchise, their study and the individual’s personal progress. Mentoring support will be provided and corrective action plans will be jointly developed to assist any underperforming Trainee to get back on track. While every effort will be made to support the Trainee to the end of the Traineeship, AWA reserves the right to terminate the Traineeship at such times, if it is considered that the Trainee will not make a successful transition to a fully fledged Franchisee at the end of the Traineeship.
• The earliest date at which the Traineeship can successfully conclude will be either after 12 months operation of the AWA owned franchise or on completion of the Cert IV training whichever is later.
• If after 12 months operation of the franchise, a Trainee has not yet completed their course of study or is deemed not yet ready to be offered the option to purchase a franchise, a grace period of up to 3 months will be allowed to finalise the traineeship.
• At the successful conclusion of the Traineeship the Trainee will be given the opportunity to acquire the Franchise territory they have been operating on AWA’s behalf on the then standard terms for such franchises.
• All profits earned in that territory during the course of the Traineeship will be credited towards the cost of purchasing the franchise from AWA. This allows the Trainee to effectively work during the Trainee period to self-fund themselves into the franchise.
• Naturally in the event that a Trainee is not offered a franchise (or declines to accept the offer of a franchise) the profits of the AWA owned franchise will be retained by AWA.
• The Trainee will still have to provide additional funding at that point for working capital and buying from AWA any tools they have been using at their written down value and taking over the lease of the vehicle. Where appropriate, AWA may assist the successful Trainee to secure financing.

A Typical Trainee Programme