School-based apprenticeships and traineeships allow students – typically in Years 11 and 12 - to work for an employer and train towards recognised qualifications while completing high school.

Some students will complete their traineeships while still at school. For apprenticeships and some traineeships, after the student finishes school, they will need to convert to full-time to allow them to complete the qualification.

A registered training provider (such as TAFE or a private training organisation) provides the formal training required for the student to complete the qualification.

Students are paid for the time they spend at work, according to the award that is relevant to that particular type of apprenticeship or traineeship. The student must be paid for a minimum of 48 days in each year of their school-based apprenticeship or traineeship.

Supporting apprenticeship and traineeships for school students is one of the ways the Queensland Government is responding to skills and labour shortages.

In recognising the benefits of school-based apprenticeship and traineeships to Queensland’s employers and young people, the Queensland Government is aiming to double the number of school-based apprentices and trainees over the coming years. The Queensland Government has committed an additional $6.2 million to assist schools to expand the school-based apprenticeship and traineeship program.

Look for links to the goals of your workforce strategic plan.

1. Look at the list of potential apprenticeships and traineeships and compare the occupations listed there with the occupations where your agency is experiencing shortages.
   1. Could you build a career path from one of these apprenticeship or traineeship qualifications into a para-professional or professional qualification in short supply?
   2. Does your agency see a benefit in providing a supportive learning environment to develop human capital in certain occupations? This could benefit your agency directly, or the broad industry or sector (e.g. non-government organisations).
   3. During the periods of time the apprentice or trainee is working in your agency, how can their effort help to alleviate workload pressures for staff?
2. Apprenticeships and traineeships are an excellent avenue to support young people experiencing disadvantage. There may be links between your agency’s EEO objectives, particularly supporting young people in remote communities to gain valuable work experience and skills that help them gain ongoing employment.
3. The concept of ‘grow your own’ staff in rural locations may provide opportunities to use school-based apprenticeships. Partnerships between local Queensland Government agency offices, schools and training providers can be strengthened by working together to skill local young people.
4. By placing as many as four apprentices into the one role your agency could realise economies of scale and be in a better position to alleviate labour shortages and workload pressures.

To ensure that your investment in your apprentice or trainee delivers most benefit to your agency, you might look to place the apprentice or trainee in teams where:

1. The supervisor delegates well, provides encouraging feedback and helps to integrate the apprentice or trainee into the team;
2. Liaison with the apprentice or trainee, their parents and school and the training provider can be coordinated and monitored;
3. In areas where longer term employment opportunities might eventuate; and
4. It is possible to delegate work to the apprentice that is suitable for a young person (usually aged between 15 and 17 years).

The best time of the year to recruit apprentices is July to September. You may like to target most of your efforts to Year 10 students, who, at that time, are often making critical decisions about their choice of subjects for Years 11 and 12. However schools will still be interested in job opportunities for students at other times throughout the year that may fit better with your recruitment needs.

The recruitment process for apprentice and trainees should follow your agency’s usual processes for employing temporary staff, with some potential modifications. You should:

1. Involve schools in your recruitment efforts. This may be managed and coordinated at a local level where those relationships already exist.
   1. Consider visiting schools in the area around which you are offering apprenticeships or traineeships.
   2. Offer work experience opportunities to give your agency and the students a chance to work together in the lead up to a SAT.
   3. Liaise with Vocational and Educational Training Coordinators and guidance counsellors in those schools, to ensure they are aware of the opportunities your agency is offering.
   4. District ETRF coordinators, might be a useful contact point
   5. Advertise upcoming recruitment opportunities on Smart Jobs and Careers website. This website will be promoted to schools as the best place to look for upcoming vacancies in the public service.
2. Present information about the position available and the work of your agency in a way that will attract young people.
3. Parents are key stakeholders in a student’s decision to enrol in an apprenticeship and stick at it, so you might like to provide information targeted to parents’ needs during your recruitment campaign.
4. Be aware that your job might be the very first job for some students and the usual selection process may seem quite daunting. You might like to make sure students and their parents are well aware of the recruitment and interview process. You may want to focus the selection process on the students’ potential for development and motivation, as follows:

   Potential for development

   • How well does the student perform in relevant school subjects (e.g. maths)?
   • Is there sufficient support for the student throughout the apprenticeship or traineeship (e.g. from parents, the school or a community mentor)?
   • How well suited are they personally to the role (e.g. some initiative and confidence for a receptionist role)?

   Motivation

   • Do they have a genuine interest in the given field?
   • How well do they respond to a challenge?

It’s hard to generalise about the supervision of apprentices and trainees. The timetable for when the apprentice or trainee is in the workplace will be negotiated between the school, the Registered Training Organisation and yourself when the training contract is signed. Various factors will be considered in allocating work, training and education schedule, such as the school curriculum, the availability of the necessary training from the training provider, your business unit requirements and individual preferences. Some students may attend work on a set day each week, while others might attend work during blocks of time, such as during their school holidays.

The particular work that you allocate to an apprentice or trainee and the level of supervision they require again depends on many factors, including the capability and confidence of the young person. Some work in government may be unsuitable for young people to perform or have some involvement in, given the work’s confidential or highly sensitive nature.

Building and maintaining good relationships with the school and the students’ parents is important to be able to negotiate arrangements that suit all parties and to work through issues that inevitably arise.

Agencies that have successful apprenticeship and traineeship programs generally provide the apprentice or trainee with a mentor from within that agency. Mentors are successful operators in that occupation who are keen to develop young people through a supportive, trusting relationship.

Above all, a school-based apprentice or trainee is one of your employees, so should receive the same support as other employees (e.g. induction). Your agency is investing in their development, so they should receive extra support to assist them to realise their potential (e.g. through mentoring and regular feedback and encouragement).

If your agency is taking on a number of apprentices or trainees, it may be cost-effective to appoint a coordinator within the agency. The coordinator may have the role of:

• Recruiting for apprentices and trainees;
• Liaising with the apprenticeship centre to ensure the apprenticeship is properly established;
• Liaising with the apprentices and trainees and their supervisors, parents and schools throughout the apprenticeship or traineeship – to ensure things are going according to plan or to sort out issues; and
• Supporting the apprentices and trainees throughout their placement.

Australian Apprenticeship Centres are there to assist employers with the training and employment contract and provide further information as required.