Understanding the psychological contract in apprenticeships and traineeships to improve retention

This research examines the ‘psychological contract’ or the unwritten expectations of employers and employees in an employment relationship. The particular aim of this study was to discover whether mismatched expectations have any effect on retention in apprenticeships and traineeships. The research indicated that overall there was a very high level of agreement on the obligations of the two major parties to the employment contract. In most cases these were the same obligations as exist in any employment contract, but with a much greater emphasis on training as an obligation on both sides...  [+] Show more

This research examines the ‘psychological contract’ or the unwritten expectations of employers and employees in an employment relationship. The particular aim of this study was to discover whether mismatched expectations have any effect on retention in apprenticeships and traineeships. The research indicated that overall there was a very high level of agreement on the obligations of the two major parties to the employment contract. In most cases these were the same obligations as exist in any employment contract, but with a much greater emphasis on training as an obligation on both sides. The provision of training was seen as the most important obligation of employers, while serious attention to learning was seen as apprentices’ and trainees’ most important obligation, second only to attendance and punctuality. The set of training obligations overall rated higher scores than the set of employment obligations. Paying greater attention to the areas perceived as deficient, such as employers providing specific time for training, fair treatment and resources to do the job, may be a means of improving retention.