Are you able to share a bit more information about the "incidents", it might help us understand what your training needs are?

It's a bit confusing if your issue is health and safety related or more of an issue with the management actually managing the young person.

In reply to Ryan:

The issues are not health and safety-related. I am merely quoting the HSE website because it had something vaguely relevant about managing young workers. The issues are cultural, "banter" (which I'm addressing) etc. What I would also need is something more general about how to understand and better manage someone who is under 18, entering the workplace for the first time and so on, without getting frustrated with them and what challenges to look out for when supervising them.

In reply to Anka:

I'm wondering if the age factor is a bit of a red herring. It sounds almost like the 'manager' has adopted a "parent/guardian" role to "adolescent" and this will absolutely lead to mismatch in expectations, treatment and outcomes. Instead I wonder if its more about teaching the manager how to manage different and diverse individuals within the workplace and understanding from the individuals their main motivations, drivers and if its their first job, mentoring and monitoring until working styles emerge.

This could be a good opportunity to sit down with this person and map out their experiences from recruitment onwards to give you insight into how somebody without previous work experienced your business.

Some of your processes and assumptions will be good but others will show room for improvement.

This website (www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/.../supporting-your-apprentice) has some useful info on supporting apprentices and there is a webinar on onboarding and induction.

There is also a line managers guide on this website:
associationofapprentices.org.uk/

In reply to Elizabeth:

Thanks All

Good points from everyone. Just to clarify, I'm not talking about an office environment and the people on the ground supervising the apprentices are usually not the apprentice's manager. What I was after was a quick and practical "this is how you deal with a 16 year old in the workplace" for the rest of the team when the 16-year old doesn't behave like the rest of the team/supervisors behaved during their own apprenticeships 40 years ago when the workplace was a different place... At this point, I think I need to sit the manager down and put it onto them to sort out. They are willing but need help with resolving conflict. They are receiving line management training including in conflict resolution. Arguably, if there is a problem between apprentice and supervisor, the manager should step up (and in) as I don't see the problems day-to-day. I was hoping someone would have an "intervention" that might help me help the team day-to-day but there doesn't appear to be anything out there, so I need to get the manager to talk to the team about how to manage these challenges. I will offer them some individual coaching as well in addition to the current training.

In reply to Anka:

Might be worth contacting this organisation:
www.youthemployment.org.uk/.../

I understand what you're saying. Some of my managers want to employ apprentices. I have put them off so far because I think they'll want the apprentices to be how they were 30 years ago, they don't have teenage children yet.

I wonder if there is an opportunity here to also address the expectations of the apprentice. Managing young people is tough, I agree, but is it also worth reviewing how you inducted them? Did you explain what is/isn't appropriate? If this is their first job out of school then you might need to spend a bit more time with them explaining the dos and don'ts in a way you might not have to with someone later in their career.

As an aside, I read "Reframing Generational Stereotypes by Rachele Focardi" and found it helpful. I was dealing with the other end of the spectrum, a fairly young team managing a couple of 60+ employees very set in their ways.

In reply to Ryan:

Thanks for the recommendation - i'll take a look.

In reply to Elizabeth:

Thanks Elizabeth. Will take a look. I have had the manager in my office complaining that his team just doesn't get that things are different these days. We have had a few apprentices that fit in well but others that have been more challenging. I have asked him to pay more attention when recruiting.

In reply to Anka:

Yes, it's always a positive sign during recruitment if the candidate has had some previous experience of a working environment, eg a Saturday job or even a good work experience placement.
As you observe, Anka, most apprentices do transition well from the school to the work environment, but a few unfortunately don't or don't easily. It can sometimes be useful to nominate someone suitable ( eg possibly a recent ex-apprentice themselves) in your workforce to act as mentor to apprentices and that can be a great help in all kinds of ways.

I worked with Youth Training Scheme young people for several years and later worked/trained managers.

If you are/were a decent enough parent then you probably already had the skills to manage younger, inexperienced and often poorly motivated teenagers/young adults. For many younger adults, the transition from school to work is quite a jump. You are moving away from a heavily directed and supervised school world where many teenagers, were subjected to sarcastic teachers, strict rules and put downs by some teachers. "You'll get nowhere with that attitude lad" and/or, "You'll end up sweeping the streets" and so on. (That was what I was told!!)

Obviously not all apprentices are the same, but they'll often need a little more encouragement, a little more supervision, instruction, training and praise. They don't want to be treated like school children any more but they've spent several years at school being treated like school children and not as young adults. So for many they won't always know what is expected.

I note that you say the apprentice was perceived as "challenging". Some can be - but what does it mean?? You mention that the person was perceived to be "backchatting'. My own view, depending on what was said, is, so what? Are you not allowed to back chat in a company or to your own boss? As older adults we probably take more care about what we say and how we say it. But a teenager??

Remember that many youngsters aren't very good at planning, prioritising, carrying out tasks and finishing them off. So yes, you may need to be a little more patient. You may need to explain things more. You may need to check their progress in their job/tasks. They may need more encouragement than adults, and they may need more support. That isn't their fault!!