Bosses signing up to courses that teach them how to get through to Gen Y Nick Richardson (left), general manager at Platinum Electrical Contractors, with one of his Gen Y employees Luke O'Hare. UP to half of apprentices walk away before graduation and inter-generational clashes are being blamed as part of the problem. Gen Y workers are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce yet a third of employers report less than 45 per cent of apprentices complete their training. Bosses are now signing up for courses to learn how to handle the new generation who dislike old-school management styles and demand independence, respect and meaningful work. "It is a massive issue and it is getting bigger," said psychologist Danielle Buckley, who is leading seminars on how to be a good boss for the Australian Business Apprenticeships Centre (ABAC). The baby boomers and Gen X's are getting frustrated with them because they don't know how to manage them. They are a different breed. They are not going to tolerate a boss who yells at them or speaks to them badly. The average tenure for a Gen Y in a job is about 12 months because when it gets hard and they don't like it, they go. They have been raised in really affluent times. They have completely different expectations and have been raised to be outspoken, to have a voice, to be optimistic and follow their dreams. The flipside of that is they don't generally have the mental toughness and resilience that perhaps the Gen X and Baby Boomers do. Born between the early 1980s to early 2000s, Gen Y are concerned with a work-life balance, workplace culture and job variety, according to McCrindle Research. Andrew Williams, ABAC general manager, said "the philosophy of a job for life is a bit dated." He said apprentice retention differs according to region and industry. In metropolitan areas there is more choice than in some regional areas and that is having an impact. Sometimes there is a higher turnover in careers like hair dressing while other trades might be more stable but we want to increase completion rates across the board. Nick Richardson, general manager of Platinum Electrical Contractors in Blacktown, hopes to add to his current team of nine apprentices. He believes the key to his productive workforce is happy workers and career progression. "We try to give them ownership of their work and a sense of achievement," Mr Richardson said. It helps to them to develop their confidence and you can move up the ranks so they have goals they can achieve. Ms Buckley said bosses need to capitalise on the positive Gen Y qualities of optimism, enthusiasm, innovation and creativity. "By 2025 about 75 per cent of our workforce is going to be Gen Y so businesses need to learn how to work together because soon they are going to be the managers," she said.