The cost of investing in apprenticeship training for employers depends greatly on the sector - for example, there are higher costs associated with engineering relative to other sectors such as hospitality, retailing and business administration. In the retail sector, the net cost of training is particularly low and some firms are able to recoup their whole investment by the end of the period of training (McIntosh, 2007). This is especially true if employers are able to retain apprentices, because the majority of associated costs are incurred in the early stages of the training period (McIntosh, 2007). Employers can obtain a range of benefits by investing in apprentices, including securing a supply of workers with applied workplace skills, potential replacement of an ageing workforce, lower recruitment costs, and lower labour turnover.