What employers want.

Steven Cook:
Steven Cook gained experience in building by doing work with his father after he finished year 9, the work he did was tiling and painting. During this he gained enthusiasm for these trades and a desire to go further with his career.
When looking at hiring an apprentice he looks for decent writing skills on an application form, a desire to learn and he emphasised greatly, a passion for a particular trade.

Ray Hall:
When looking at hiring an apprentice, key factors that influence his decision are whether the applicant has a keen knowledge of of maths and drawing, experience in the industry of boiler making or completion or enrolment in a pre-apprenticeship course, being polite and well dressed, punctuality and self discipline.

Rod Slater:
Rod was a high school drop out at 13, after which time he simply went around door knocking asking for an apprenticeship in car mechanics. From a very young age he was excited by cars and knew that cars were going to become his career pathway, which most probably influenced his decision to leave high school so early. When he was first employed it became evident to Rod and his employer that his reading, writing, maths and other skills gained in school were dissatisfactory for him to excell in his chosen career so he chose to go to night school where he had a "love affair". In 1971 he created Euro cars in 1971.
When looking for an apprentice he likes to have a meeting with the applicants parents most probably as a background and personality check, they show pride in their work. One key thing he was insistent on was that apprentices own up for their mistakes as this shows they are keen to learn and to acquire a greater understanding of the processes involved in the skill. Also he is against the use of the drugs as he believes that if " you do drugs, drugs do you, and they will destroy everything you aspire to be".