05 Jun 2020

Not everyone knows what they want to do after school. Some people do, and they’re just itching to graduate already and get their careers underway. Some of you probs have no clue and yet you’re still dying to get outta there and move onto the next stage of your life.

If this is you, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that there’s a way to study and train for some careers and actually have it included in your school timetable.

What are SATs?

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs) let ya start working for an employer while you’re still in your final few years of school. While you’ll still be studying for Year 12, you’ll also be gaining work experience and training towards a recognised qualification in the career path of your choice.

This is great for those of you who don’t really like the style of teaching you find at high school and would prefer to get more hands-on with your learning.

Why do one?

Think about it. If you’re ready to start thinking about the next chapter of your life, why not get a head start?

Whether you wanna do an apprenticeship, head to uni or TAFE, or train up to be the manager of that café down the road with the epic açai smoothies, most post-school options usually involve three- to-four years of study or training before you can really start doing your own thing.

Three or four years is a long time to wait, especially if you’ve still got a year or two left to go at school as well.

That’s where SATs come in. If you leave school with a bit of knowledge and work experience already under your belt, you’re cutting down on how long it’s gonna take you to complete your training. That way, in a couple years’ time, your mates will still be hitting the books while you’re out there making dosh.

How do they work?

To undertake a SAT, first you gotta get your school’s approval, as the work and training you’ll be doing is gonna impact on your timetable. Once you’ve got the consent, your timetable is gonna be divided up between school, work, and training.

Like all apprenticeships and traineeships, you’ll need an employer. There are a bunch of different ways to find one, which you can read about here. Essentially, your two main options are to approach an employer yourself (maybe someone you know) and ask them to hire you, or to go through an organisation that will help hook you up with employers throughout your apprenticeship.

You and your employer will then need to choose a training organisation to organise all of your training and assessments. These are organisations like TAFE or private colleges that are able to give you nationally recognised qualifications and training (which you’ll need to complete your SAT), so be careful not to rush this decision!

Each year, you’ll have to work a minimum of 375 hours. This work has to be spread out across the year (you can’t cram it all in during your school holidays), so every three months you have to report your hours to show that ya haven’t been slacking off.

Will I get paid?

You know it! That 375 hours a year mentioned above is all paid work. You could be ballin’ out whilst still at school. Someone could probably make an Entourage-style TV show about you.

On top of the cash money, all the study and training you do will go towards a nationally recognised qualification like a Certificate II or III. Making you a qualified baller.

How do I choose which one to do?

If this is sounding up your alley, but you’ve still got no idea what it is you wanna do, then there is no need to stress. There are a bunch of resources out there that can help ya figure out how you can turn your passions into your life.

A great starting point is visiting the Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) website. Their course selector has a heap of information on all the different paths you could take within the building and construction industry; with over 70 careers and trades to choose from, there’s seriously something for everyone out there.  

And if you’re worried about jumping into something without even knowing if you’ll enjoy it or not – fair enough. CSQ also run Try’a Trade – an initiative where school students are able to spend the day trying out a bunch of different skill and trade areas. That way ya get a taste of your options before you have to make a decision.

School would make a lot more sense if you had a bit of direction to help motivate you to do well in class. By getting your career kickstarted before you even graduate, you’ll have a tangible goal to work towards which will make school make a whole lot more worth it.