Start a traineeship or apprenticeship

Now that you know the types of jobs that interest you, it’s time to find out what course is going to be best to build the skills you’ll need to kick-start your career.

There’s no need to enrol at this point. But it’s a great idea to have the course or qualification in mind — this is needed for your Training Contract (Step 4).

The South Australian Government have pitched in to provide some courses for free or at a lower cost to you.

If your course is delivered by a training provider that can deliver on the capabilities required for your qualification, speak with your employer and ‘nominate’ them when developing your Training Contract (Step 4).

It’s time to find an employer who is willing to take you onboard. This is a very important part of the process.

You have two options.

1. Find an employer yourself

• Speak with friends, family or local businesses and do some online research.
• Your training provider may have a list of employers ready and willing to take on new apprentices or trainees.
• You can also search for an employer by name or more broadly by vocation on the Register of Approved Employers – Apprenticeships and Traineeships.

Found an employer willing to take you on but not registered? They can apply using our self-registration here.

2. Ask a Group Training Organisation (GTO) to take care of this

Your GTO gives you the opportunity to work somewhere without that place needing to directly employ you. This is called a host arrangement and it means you are employed by the GTO and contracted out to a business.

This can be a great, low-stress option because:

• your GTO will find a host employer for you
• if you need to change host employers during your traineeship or apprenticeship, your GTO can organise a new host employer for you
• sometimes a field of work or particular occupation means you’ll need to work with multiple hosts during your training — again, your GTO can sort this all out for you

Your Training Contract is a legal agreement at the heart of your apprenticeship or traineeship.

It’s a formal agreement made between you and your employer that sets out important information about your traineeship or apprenticeship.

Because it’s a legal document, it’s binding. This means the things agreed in this document need to be done by both you and your employer.

Your Training Contract is there to protect both you and your employer, making sure you both get what you agreed to.

You and your employer will need to speak with an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider (ACAP) who will manage the whole process.

There are four ACAPs contracted to work in South Australia:

• SYC (First Nations people specialist) 1300 792 323
• SYC (Generalist) 1300 792 323
• MAS National Ltd (Generalist) 1300 627 628
• Apprenticeship Support Australia (ASA) (Generalist) 1300 363 831

You or your employer will need to:

• nominate a training provider
• provide information on your course / qualification
• decide on your wage (your ACAP can assist)
  
• state your hours (part-time or full-time) and
• confirm approval from your school (VET in high school learners only)

Both you and your employer need to sign the contract before it is lodged by the ACAP with the South Australian Skills Commission (SASC).

Your training provider will develop your Training Plan.

• When you chose a training provider, they will have 30 days (from the date your Training Contract is lodged) to accept your request. This is formally called a nomination.
• Once they’ve accepted your request, your training provider has 28 days to work with you and your employer to create a Training Plan that suits your Training Contract (and that considers any requests for Credit Transfer or Recognition of Prior Learning).

Your training provider will then review your Training Plan every six months to make sure that the skills you’re learning match with the needs of your qualification.

Your training provider will take into consideration any changes to you or your employer's circumstances that could be making it difficult to develop the skills you need and will provide you with relevant support to update your Training Plan.

During the pre-enrolment process you’ll be asked to undertake an Upfront Assessment of Need (UAN). Your UAN is your first opportunity to get to know your trainer and to let them know about any needs you may have.

Make the most of your UAN

Your UAN is designed to give you what you need to complete your qualification so you can launch into your dream career. The UAN explores your unique abilities, and any hurdles you may face, to make sure that, wherever possible, you’re able to gain the qualification of your choice.

During completion of your UAN, you’ll get the opportunity to:

• make sure you’ve chosen your ideal course
• get prepared with the arrangements that suit you
• get support with reading, writing or maths

Your training provider will notify Skills SA when an agreement has been reached between them, you and your employer.

At this point your Training Contract will be in place.