09 Mar 2020

Keen on starting an apprenticeship? That’s never a bad decision.

In fact, it’s a great decision. If you want job security, then doing a trade is where it’s at. You can take it with you anywhere around the world and there’s a seemingly infinite amount of work out there for tradies to complete. If ya do an apprenticeship, your job will never go out of fashion.

Sounds dreamy, I know, but to set yourself up for a life of smooth sailing, you’ve gotta build the boat first. Terrible boat-metaphors aside, the point is that securing yourself an apprenticeship isn’t always easy.

From choosing which trade to do to convincing someone to commit to four full years of employing and teaching you, it can be tricky.

Check out CSQ for info

The best starting point in your journey towards a trade is checking out Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ). CSQ provides a bunch of information about what a career in the building and construction industry can look like, as well as subsidising your training costs, connecting you with RTOs and providing industry leading research and information.

CSQ can also give you a hand figuring out which trade might be best suited for you. Their course selector provides info on over 70 different careers in construction which will help point ya in the right direction.

Pimp out your resume

Once you’ve figured out what trade ya wanna pursue, it’s time to look for an employer. Unless you personally know someone looking to employ an apprentice (maybe a family friend, or ya mate’s dad), then you’re gonna want to get that resume of yours looking absolutely schmick.

Check out some of the other articles on our site to find out how to make a killer resume – here and here.

 

Hit up some local employers

Hit up job sites online, browse through your local newspaper’s job section, speak to the rents to see if they have any tradie mates, or use your own network of friends to hit up business owners and see if you can find a suitable employer who’s looking to hire.

You can even reach out to businesses on your own and politely enquire if they – or anyone they know – are on the lookout for a keen potential apprentice like yourself.

Try a GTO

If you aren’t having any luck finding an employer on your own, this is no cause for alarm. It’s super common, and all hope is not lost for you, my friend!

Group Training Organisations (GTOs) hook you up with employers looking to pass their skills on to the next wave of apprentices. While you complete your apprenticeship, your GTO will technically be your employer, but you’ll be learning from whichever businesses they assign you to throughout the four years.

GTOs are a great option because they ensure you learn from the very best. They also offer you security throughout your apprenticeship; if one of the businesses you’re working for goes broke or has to let you go for some reason, the GTO can simply link you up with a new one for the remainder of your apprenticeship.

Starting an apprenticeship may seem like a mission at the start, but once you get the ball rolling, you’ll realise that it’s simply a case of one step after the next. And if your first step involves checking out the CSQ website, you’ll be on the right path from the word go. Now get that resume looking fresh and let’s get this career started!