Hi guys,
I just finished my apprenticeship about 8 months ago,
Here are a few things i picked up along the way that might be useful too you.
1. the pay is rubbish, i cant see how a school leaver would choose $200 odd a week over a job in the mines,
2. Apprentices that excel arnt given the respect they deserve in the early years of there apprenticeship.
3. There are A LOT! of dumb
kids who get picked up for apprenticeships, brains are one thing, but basic common sense and a keen attitude are all you need to get through trade school yet i see so many students fail tafe so often, 3 or 4 times on the same module even.
I know in a skill shortage you cant pick and choose who you can hire, but there needs to be some interest in kids these days.
I saw it mentioned earlier in some of the posts, but ive seen some of the brighest kids get jobs in GA but end up working for the biggest
holes and leave because they get sick of being ripped off and having so much responsibility lumped on them.
And as for the wage dispute, apprentice wages across australia are calculated as a % of the tradesman wages. Most other trades have that a lot higher because in aviation an AME is a tradesman but you wont get a decent wage till you get LAME status.
putting that in perspective, a 2nd year gardener got more a week then me as a 3rd year avionics apprentice.