04 Nov 2019

There’s a lot of noise out there surrounding apprenticeships but not a lot of clear and concise information that cuts to the core of it all. What the hell is an RTO and a GTO?? What’s the deal with TAFE? How the heck do I even get one?

If you’re a little frazzled or lost, here is all the info you need to know if you’re considering an apprenticeship.

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a training agreement between employer and apprentice, where the latter learns a skilled trade under the supervision of an experienced tradesman as well as getting a formal education.

Completing an apprenticeship is killing two birds with one stone as it involves paid on-the-job training for a skilled trade or vocational area, as well as formal study at a registered training organisation (RTO) such as TAFE or a private college.

There are more than 500 occupations available through an apprenticeship like construction management, hairdressing, carpentry, cooking and plumbing just to name a few.

Why should I study an apprenticeship?

Not only are you able to earn dosh whilst learning valuable skills and completing your training, you’ll leave your studies with money rather than student debt.

You’re getting real-life experience from a real-life company and afterwards you receive a shiny qualification.

Doing an apprenticeship makes you eligible for a number of financial support programs that can help you during your training.

Since you receive such extensive experience and training, finishing an apprenticeship almost guarantees you a job. In fact, recent stats show that over 91% of trade apprentices get employed after finishing their training. You also have the option to work for yourself by becoming a licensed contractor or sub-contractor. (No more crappy bosses!)

Since apprenticeship qualifications are nationally recognised, you can settle elsewhere in Australia for a little working adventure, plus your skills will be transferable to other work globally.

 

How the hell do I get one?

There are a few routes you can take to snap up an apprenticeship.

A private apprenticeship is an agreement made directly between the apprentice and a business. The business is therefore the employer, which means they are responsible for wages, allowances, superannuation, sick/holiday leave and everything in between. They provide the on-the-job training, as well as choosing where, when, and how the formal off-the-job theory training is delivered.

This is an option if you’ve sussed out with friends and family if they know anybody who’d be a suitable employer, if you’ve done your research in finding a company with a great reputation or if you’ve scoured job sites and local papers for apprenticeship vacancies near you.

Going through a Group Training Organisation (GTO) is another option you can take. GTOs are really useful because they can link you with host employers for you to learn the skills of the trade from. The GTO is technically your employer throughout your apprenticeship and will assign you to different businesses throughout the duration of your training to make sure you are receiving quality guidance and learning all the skills required to succeed in your trade.

They’re also in charge of paying you and organising your off-the-job training with a registered training organisation (RTO). If a host employer runs out of work or money to continue the apprenticeship for example, GTOs will simply assign you to a new one, so you won’t have to begin your training again from the beginning.

An RTO is a Registered Training Organisation. They are where you go to receive the formal off-the-job training part of your apprenticeship. They can be public or private colleges, community education centres, or even a university. The most popular and widely recognised RTO is TAFE due to being government-owned and operated.

Employers are responsible for choosing the RTO their apprentice will attend and developing a training plan with the apprentice. This outlines the units taken during the training, and what days and times the training will take place.

Who else can help?

Our mates over at Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) can also help you figure it all out. They support apprentices in the building and construction industry, which means they can help you kick-start your career.

They can help fund up to between 75%-100% of your training costs, they’ll connect you with RTOs and provide heaps of useful info and research about the construction industry. They make the whole process a whole lot less daunting and confusing and will help you get what you need from an apprenticeship.

There you have it! The ins and outs of apprenticeships. We have tonnes of info regarding apprenticeships for you to suss out here if you want to continue your research!