A pre-apprenticeship is a waste of time
You won't get an apprenticeship at VA or Qantas without one for the moment. So without it, your limiting your options. Plus I guarantee your MORE likely to get offered an apprenticeship from a GA business if you don't need to leave every 2 weeks for block release training at the company's expense.
Believe it or not, the cert II will give you an entry level knowledge base and some basic hand skills you can put to use on the first day starting a new job. How is that not a benefit to someone starting out?