Electrician & Instrumentation Apprenticeship at 26? and How to Crack One?

TurkishDelight on 08/04/2017 - 04:00
Last edited 08/04/2017 - 07:32 by 1 other user

Hello bargain hunters,

I am thinking to do a career change at 26, and I am keen towards doing a dual trade E/I. I had always liked dealing with electronic items when I was a young, playing around and repairing my remote controlled car. I have done my research and found it is best to get into E/I as it is electrical and requires problem-solving skills, which I would enjoy doing. I know the trade is challenging work, but I have realized that I prefer to work hard rather than sitting in an office and doing paperwork. Now at 26, I do not acquire any experience in a related field or a certificate. Unfortunately, I do not have any contacts with anyone that could help me landing this apprenticeship. Would appreciate if you can provide input for the following questions:

1) How hard would it be to get an E/I apprenticeship at 26?
2) What tickets/courses should I look into for improving my chances of getting an apprenticeship?
3) Should I do some volunteer work as a trade assistant considering that improve my chances?
4) Would relocating from VIC to some other state improve my odds?
5) Will it be worth spending five years on learning E/I working for half pay? Is the license that valuable? Or I should consider something else?

Any advice and suggestions are welcome,
TurkishDelight.

• 

  kallen on 08/04/2017 - 08:34

  +2

  I would consider doing a certificate 2 in electrotechnology or something equivalent, usually it also requires you to do some work experience and you maybe able to find a company which does instrumentation to do work experience with. Doing volunteer work may help, but most employers will want you to have insurance, which a RTO usually provides if you can do the relevant course.

  The difficulty is finding employers interested in hiring a adult apprentice though big companies do take on adult apprentices, going through a group training company maybe the best option.

  I'm currently a electrical apprentice and working with instrumentation on a daily basis though I'm not doing a dual trade.

  • 

    TurkishDelight on 08/04/2017 - 13:15

    Kallen thanks for your input, I may have to research more about a group training stuff. May I ask you how did you crack your apprenticeship? and How are you finding it?

    • 

      kallen on 08/04/2017 - 13:59

      +1

      I completed a certificate 2 in electrotechnology and after an unsuccessful interview with an host employer the GTO said that if I was interested they would pass my resume to another employer who they were going to advertise for in the early new year. I had an interview and it probably wasn't the best interview, but I believe they must have seen value in the certificate 2. I got a call from the GTO about a week later telling me I was successful and started about 2 weeks after that. I did make it sound simple but I handed out resumes, called employers and sent resumes to job ads from about mid 2015 to early 2016 just to find something.

      I find the apprenticeship to be great, its interesting and there is something different everyday. Instrumentation and PLC work can be a little over the head sometimes but compared to 12 months ago I have a better understanding. Just giving anything and everything ago, asking questions, even getting the tradesman to draw a picture just to understand things better sums up my apprenticeship and so far its been great!

      Anymore questions feel free to ask!

      • 

        TurkishDelight on 08/04/2017 - 14:28

        That's good to hear. Did you choose to go for industrial apprenticeship or you just took anything came to you?

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  ChrisLevo on 08/04/2017 - 10:30

  A Group Training Organisation (GTO) is probably your best bet, as per kallen's post.

  They hire apprentices, and host them out to employers.

  http://www.grouptrainingdirectory.com.au/ will show you local ones.

  I am involved with eProfiling (kallen will know what that means!) in South Australia, and deal with all of the local GTOs, most of which have some older apprentices on their books.

  • 

    TurkishDelight on 08/04/2017 - 13:19

    Thank you so much, but will there be any difference (cons) if I do my apprenticeship from GTO instead of a company?

    • 

      ChrisLevo on 08/04/2017 - 14:25

      You would still be attending a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to be taught theory.

      Instead of working for a normal employer, you would be employed by a GTO who would host you out to an employer.

      Kallen seems to have a great handle on this, and happy to help, so I suggest that you pick his brains.

      • 

        TurkishDelight on 08/04/2017 - 14:30

        Thanks. Yes, I will get my doubts cleared from him.

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  nrg2010 on 08/04/2017 - 16:14

  +1

  5) Will it be worth spending five years on learning E/I working for half pay? Is the license that valuable? Or I should consider something else?

  Can't say whether it will be a good choice for you. But I picked up an electrical licence years ago and have built a career on it. At the moment I can see there is a complete shortage of skill in E/I & ICT areas. I am working for NSW Health and seeing a move over to network enabled equipment/devices and SaS, which is really changing the need for FTE in less qualified positions.

  I would say give it a go as the benfits will be worth it over the longer term, all the indicators suggest the robot revolution will need E/I skills.

  • 

    TurkishDelight on 09/04/2017 - 00:39

    Thank you for answering. I hope I would crack an apprenticeship.

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  ms_caz on 09/04/2017 - 08:04

  You might also like to take a look at the NECA website - they are the peak body for the Electrical Industry. Somewhere on their website is a link to a sample aptitude test which you can take, and information about their apprenticeship intake process/interviews. If you apply through them and are successful, I believe that your details are then provided to a range of potential employers who will make contact with you if you are a suitable fit ( instead of applying "cold" to advertised vacancies etc).

  http://necaeducation.com.au/training-with-us/

  • 

    TurkishDelight on 09/04/2017 - 12:16

    Hey thanks for replying. However, should I be looking for Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship or Electrical Apprenticeship?
    Did you mean this aptitude test?- https://www.jobtestprep.com/electrician-apprentice-exam#top

    • 

      ms_caz on 09/04/2017 - 18:38

      +1

      HI again,

      I think the test you have linked to is a US test for the US based NECA. I am sure the content would be similar and it would be worth doing as a practice run, but the one I am referring to is here http://necaeducation.com.au/training-with-us/necara/ The actual sample for the test is only a couple of questions - I thought it was longer (maybe it has changed since I last looked). The important thing is that this link does give you the dates of the next apprenticeship intake test, which you could book, sit and hopefully be offered an electrical apprenticeship before you even take leave from your current position.

      A pre-apprenticeship readies you for the first year of your apprenticeship. Many employers look at these in a positive light because all the very basic knowledge will already have been covered before you get onto the job. Also, it will give you a real senseof whether or not this is really the pathway you wish to follow. Most Pre-Apps are about 3 months full time. Some might have flexible delivery (meaning a combination of online and on campus delivery). Given your circumstances, I would highly recommend that you do think about completing a Pre-App before looking for an electrical apprenticeship as it will show you quite a lot more about what the trade includes. Of course, the downside is that it will cost money and take time. I would go to the Victorian Skills Gateway page and look up the career start and Pre-Apps in electrotechnology http://www.skills.vic.gov.au/victorianskillsgateway/students…
      (You will also see qualifications for a range of other allied services/trades). Go to the websites for the institutions which offer the Cert 2 Electrotech and investigate - how long they take, what is involved, prerequisites and costs. This should give you further information to help you with your decision making.

      good luck!

      • 

        TurkishDelight on 09/04/2017 - 21:06

        Thank but I do not want to spend any money on certificate II

      • 

        ms_caz on 10/04/2017 - 07:31

        +1

        @TurkishDelight:

        Your second question was:
        2) What tickets/courses should I look into for improving my chances of getting an apprenticeship?

        I believe that the pre-app would improve your chances - especially if you have no prior experience in the field. Remember, most new first year apprentices will have this qualification. They cannot go directly into a Cert 3 unless they have an apprenticeship lined up, so those who are keen on a future career as an electrician will do the Pre-app first. Those who are really keen will have done it as part of their secondary school courses.

        Hooking up with NECA might also help to improve your chances. You haven't said what field your desk job experience is in. If it is something that deals with maths at a fairly high level then you should not have any problems.

        You may also want to look at http://www.aapathways.com.au/Home as that will give you all the information you have ever wanted to know about apprenticeships.

        good luck.

      • 

        TurkishDelight on 12/04/2017 - 22:27

        @ms_caz: That's a plenty of information, Thanks. I am actually taking maths classes these days.