Every year I read apprentice applications from school leavers, and every year the same thing happens. The kids who get picked did most of the work in Year 11 and 12, before the intake even opened. The ones who start thinking about it after their last exam are applying against people who have been getting ready for two years. Here is what to do, and when.
What the panel is actually looking at
When I look at a school leaver’s application, I am not hiring on experience. You have none, and nobody expects you to. I am hiring on three things: will you turn up, will you be safe, and do you actually want this trade. Your marks matter less than you think. Your attendance record, a part-time job you have held for a year, and a referee who is not your mum matter a lot more.
So the question for Year 11 and 12 is simple. What can you put on one page that proves those three things? More on how the panel reads it in what employers look for in an apprentice application.
Year 11: start building the proof
- Keep your attendance up. Some employers ask for school reports. A report full of absences tells me you will be a sick-day problem on site.
- Get a part-time job and keep it. Supermarket, fast food, farm, labouring for a family friend. Twelve months in one job beats four jobs of three months each.
- Do work experience in the trade you want. A week with a sparky or a fitter tells you if you like it, and tells me you have been on a worksite and still want in.
- Take maths seriously. Many apprentice intakes use an aptitude test, and maths, measurement and mechanical reasoning come up again and again. Do not drop to the easiest maths you can find.
- Start your learner’s permit hours. A driver’s licence is close to essential for most apprenticeships. Early starts and sites with no bus do not wait for a lift.
School-based apprenticeships: the head start most people miss
Every state lets you start an apprenticeship or traineeship while you are still at school. You stay enrolled, you work and train part of the week, and it counts towards your school certificate. The name changes by state: school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBATs) in New South Wales and Victoria, SATs in Queensland, and Australian School-based Apprenticeships in WA. The details, like which years can do one and how the days are split, are set by each state, so check your state’s education department page and talk to your school’s VET or careers coordinator.
From the hiring side, a school-based apprentice is the easiest yes I get. They have already shown up to a real job, a real supervisor has seen them work, and sometimes the host employer keeps them on full-time after Year 12. If your school offers one in a trade you like, take it seriously.
If there is no school-based spot going, a VET subject or a pre-apprenticeship in your trade area does a similar job on paper.
Year 12: get ready for the intakes
The bigger operators, contractors and group training organisations usually run apprentice intakes once a year, and applications often close months before the start date. If you wait until after your exams, you will have missed some of them. In Year 12:
- Make a list of where you will apply and write down when each intake opens. Set job alerts so you do not miss one.
- Get your White Card. You need it to work on any construction site, it is cheap, and it shows you are serious. Check the provider first. The White Card and which tickets to get first.
- Do a first aid course if you can. Small cost, says “responsible adult”.
- Write a one-page CV. Name, phone, a sensible email address, your licence status, tickets, part-time work, work experience and two referees. Nothing else.
- Practise aptitude tests. Plenty of free practice tests are online. Do a few timed.
Mistakes that knock school leavers out
These come up every intake, and they cost good kids a spot:
- A parent writes the application. I can tell. So can every other panel. Parents can help you check it. You write it.
- A silly email address or a voicemail that is a joke. It is the first thing I see and the first thing I hear.
- Applying for one trade only, at one place. Apply widely. Big operators, smaller contractors and group training, all at once.
- A public social media account you would not show your nan. People do look. Do recruiters check your Facebook?
- Not answering the phone. If you have applied, answer unknown numbers. A missed call can be a missed interview.
Where to start
The national starting point is apprenticeships.gov.au, which explains how it all works and links to free Apprentice Connect Australia Providers who help you find and sign up for an apprenticeship. Your state’s apprenticeship office has the local rules. The Employer Map in the FIFO guide lists the official apprenticeship page for every state, and which kind of employer to approach first.
If you are not sure how ready you are, the free readiness check takes two minutes and shows you what to fix first. And if you miss an intake, do not sit at home. Take a labouring or trades assistant job and apply again next round. Getting known on a site is half of getting picked.
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