20 May 2020

Most people tend to think that a career is something you start after school.

Before ya finish Year 12, any sort of job you find yourself in will usually be more of a casual role – something that will earn you a bit of spending money but doesn’t really offer much in the way of long-term career growth.

Whether you’re helping out at the local grocery store, cinema or café, the general idea is that you use these jobs to support you until you’ve finished school and can start your career.

Because that’s how it works, right? Don’t ya go to school first, and then the next chapter of your life is the one where ya knuckle down and get focussed on getting a job?

Not necessarily.

What is an ASbA?

Australian School-based Apprenticeships (ASbA’s) are apprenticeships that you can start in Year 10, 11 or 12. They give you the opportunity to start building a career before you’ve finished secondary school and can get you way ahead of the pack.

Generally, you take one to two days of your week and divide that time up between training and working. The training will be done somewhere like TAFE, and the work will be done, well, on the job!

Why do one?

When you do an ASbA, you don’t just earn a bitta pocket money to spend with ya mates. You earn a real wage and work towards a nationally recognised qualification that can help you score a job anywhere across Australia.

The work experience you’ll gain is invaluable (employers love seeing experience on a resume), and you’ll gain skills like working effectively in a team, as well as on your own. On top of that, the connections you’ll make throughout your work can often lead to you finding even more work once you finish school.

Not sounding too bad, hey.

ASbA’s are also a perfect way to get a taste for a bunch of different careers. It’s a great idea to get exposed to as many jobs as you can when you’re young, so you can suss out what you might or might not want to do when you’re older.

What can I do?

There’s a huge range of choices when it comes to completing an ASbA.

Usually, you complete either a Certificate II or III in a specific industry, however the range of industries to choose from is massive. This includes business, government, early childhood education and care, events management, information digital media and technology, horticulture, and sport and recreation – just to name a few.

How much will I earn?

When you do an ASbA through the ACT Education Directorate, they hook you up with a Group Training Organisation (GTO) to act as your employer – ensuring you get paid a proper wage with all the employee entitlements included (all the good stuff).

You can even have the option to work full-time during your school holidays, to save up some serious bank (and gain some serious experience)!

But what about my marks?

This is one of our favourite things about ASbAs – they don’t take away from your mark or your experience at school – they add to it. In fact, if you’re doing your ASbA in Canberra, it can contribute up to 8 points towards your ACT Senior Secondary Certificate.

There’s also a maximum in place of 20 hours of work per week, meaning you don’t have to cram your new job into your already-busy study schedule.

How do I sign up for one?

If you’re loving the sound of an Australian School-based Apprenticeship, you can find out some more info by checking out the ACT Education Directorate. If ya chuck your details into the enquiry form at the bottom of the page, they’ll be able to help ya sign up and answer any other questions you might have!

Who said you had to wait until after school to start your career?!