Putting in simple words, apprenticeship in Australia is a time which you spend in the office learning about say general management before choosing a particular stream. Previously students focused on apprenticeship only as it provided some good experience as a student in work. But now, as the competition is getting more intense, employers in apprenticeship also want students to come with prior experience, and hence the trend of pre-apprenticeship has come up. Now it might sound weird as it is training for training but employers have quite a good reason to support the same.
Companies are today focusing on cost-cutting and hence provide more pre-placement offers rather than conducting separate recruitment drives. In such a case if you perform well in your apprenticeship in Australia, it will simply increase your chances to get the job. So it is way better for companies that you come with some prior knowledge about work and industry which can be done quite well enough through pre-apprenticeship. This way you will have an edge over the others and optimum time utilization during work can also be achieved.
So how do decide whether to go for pre-apprenticeship? Well, you can do a quick research about the role, the company, and especially the industry you want to associate yourself with, and how much prior knowledge you require for a job or apprenticeship. If some experience is required it is better to join a pre-apprenticeship before actually starting to work. It will also save your time in learning small things and then you can focus upon learning the typically.
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Students generally do pre-apprenticeship during their studies and many times is it part of their course curriculum as well. Since this is done by students and doesn’t involve work of typical nature you can’t expect good pay in this. In fact, some companies will not pay you at all for a pre-apprenticeship. But the main thing to remember is that this is your way to climb up the ladder and thus focus on the big picture.
Also before starting anything, you need to find out that whether you are eligible for pre-apprenticeship as per the course you are taking. For this, you can approach your course/career counselor or your school’s VET coordinator as well. Also, the rules relating to this are different in various states, and hence make sure you chose the company and course carefully just in case you want a change at a later stage.
