Student Guides: What’s an apprenticeship?
What's an Apprenticeship?
Interested in a fast-moving career in the trades industry? Not too sure where to start? We've pulled together a guide of what's in an apprenticeship, how to get one and a little bit of inspiration!
What’s an Apprenticeship?
With an Australian Apprenticeship you spend most of the time in paid employment, learning practical skills on-the-job and putting them into practice.
Usually one day a week is spent in structured off-the-job training at a TAFE or another registered training organisation (RTO), where you can get a nationally recognised qualification.
What makes it different from full-time work and part-time study is that you continue to get paid while you’re at off-the-job training, and the majority of it is completed within your standard working week.
What’s more, according to Job Juice , Australian Apprenticeships differ from old-style apprenticeships, as they are ‘competency based’. This means you might complete your Australian Apprenticeship in less than three or four years if you quickly achieve the knowledge and skills required.
Apprenticeships generally last between thirty six to forty eight months and cover trade areas such as Building and Construction, Horticulture, Cooking, the Automotive industry, Engineering, Manufacturing and many more.
What’s a traineeship?
A traineeship is similar to an apprenticeship, although it is shorter, and usually for non-traditional trades occupations. Traineeships generally take between twelve to twenty four months to complete.
Traineeships are available in a range of areas, including Business, Hospitality, Retail, Community Health, Child Care, Financial Services and many more.
What's an RTO?
An RTO is a Registered Training Organisation, who will teach you skills which are needed on-the-job, in the classroom. Most in most apprenticeships, this is just one day a week. Some RTOs include places like the VACC , or TAFE .
How flexible is it?
Most training providers offer courses that run both during normal business hours and after hours, either at night or on weekends.
Training can take place at an registered training organisation (RTO) but may also occur at your work. When this happens, the RTO usually conducts training in your work’s business hours.
Employees can get training in at work as part of their normal work.
If you live in a more remote area, you can learn through distance education or online courses.
Training is often provided over the internet and support materials such as course booklets, CD ROMs and training manuals are often provided by the RTO.
Intensive training sessions are conducted periodically at the RTO's premises.
Still at school?
A school-based traineeship or apprenticeship allows year 10, 11 and 12 students to undertake a VET qualification as a trainee or apprentice while still finishing their senior secondary education.
So the school-based trainee will work one or two days a week. This is 8 - 15 hours a week, and means that you complete a half-year of training off your apprenticeship (compared to full-time apprentices).
Any funded VET qualification currently available as a traineeship or apprenticeship can be offered as school-based.
Re-training?
For Australians over 30 who are re-training into a career with a skills shortage, the Government has a scheme to provide financial support.
The payment is made to either the employer or the Australian Apprentice (depending on industrial arrangements) and will be set at $150 per week in the first year and $100 per week in the second year or until completion if this occurs within the first two years.
More opportunities?
Australian apprentices have loads of opportunities to seek assistance if they need it. The Australian Apprenticeship site has information on applying for assistance including:
* Living Away From Home Allowance
* Disabled Australian Apprentices Wage Support and tutorial support for the off-the-job training
* Youth Allowance (for Australian Apprentices aged 16-24)
* Austudy (for Australian Apprentices aged 25 and over)
* ABSTUDY (Apprentices who have reached minimum school leaving age and are Indigenous Australians)
* Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarships (two $500 payments for undertaking a trade Australian Apprenticeship in an area of particular skills need )
* Tools For Your Trade Initiative (tool kit worth up to $800 for undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship in an area of particular skills needs .)
Trying to narrow down exactly what you want to do?
Several sites have Career Profiles and statistics about the jobs within the automotive industry that you might want to enter.
These include myfuture.edu.au , jobguide.dest.gov.au , jobsearch.gov.au – and SkillsOne ! ;)
Anything else cool to know about?
Looking for inspiration? Check out some Podcasts chatting to apprentices about how they felt entering their apprenticeship.
[Sourced from: Skills Tasmania, Job Juice, Job Guide, Job Search, SkillsOne, My Career, Australian Apprenticeships, MEGT.]