School-based apprenticeships often result in positive outcomes for everyone involved, whether it’s the student, the training organisation, a recruiter or even parents.
With a school-based apprenticeship, students work towards a nationally recognised vocational qualification that can help them enter a multitude of industries.
Retail, construction, business and administration, hairdressing, and a variety of other formally established courses are available – making it a suitable option for those with a range of interests.
There is flexibility with timetables, but the most common arrangement involves the student working with an employer for one day a week and then attending regular education on the other four days.
However, as long as the students attend 50 working days a year there is scope for flexibility.
Our consultants
Bryan Dyball, an industry training consultant for BUSY At Work, describes school-based apprenticeships as a “win-win situation” for both companies and trainees.
Bryan has been working at BUSY for nearly seven years and he says these programs can be a real help for those who might be struggling academically.
“Students realise why they’re learning maths and why they’re learning English, because now they’re using those skills in their jobs,” he explains.
“Kids that might want to pull out of school, it can help them to remain in school because they are now mixing both work and school and they can see an outcome as to why they’re doing homework.”
Not only this, but businesses also benefit, offering managers a variety of options when it comes to taking on new staff.
“The employers are receiving a valuable team member,” Bryan adds. “They have a great recruitment resource, with a number of students ready to go.”
Apprentice support is also never far away, whether it’s financially from state and government funding pools or through help and guidance on a day-to-day basis.
How BUSY helps
According to Bryan, apprenticeships in Queensland are leading the way, with figures showing around 45 per cent of total programs across the country take place in the state.
And BUSY’s role is to help facilitate the process, mediating between all the involved parties to ensure positive outcomes and promoting the benefits of school-based apprenticeships.
“BUSY has a good reputation with the schools for doing the work correctly and informing each party well,” Bryan says.
“We’re a very ethical company.”
BUSY performs several functions in the process, including going out to schools, talking to students about the opportunities available to them outside of university and informing employers of the types of traineeships available.
BUSY also organises inductions, bringing together all of the parties involved in the process – whether it is the schools, training providers, students or parents.
Positive outcomes
There are a variety of positive outcomes from school-based apprenticeships, with many students benefiting from improved communications skills and maturity.
Individuals can also gain points towards their Queensland Certificate of Education and get a real head start on their chosen career.
And for Bryan, being able to shake their hands after the induction phase and say ‘congratulations’ for obtaining an apprenticeship is one of the best parts of his job.
“The greatest sense of satisfaction comes from the ones who may have gone off the rails a bit, but have really matured and get back on track once they have an opportunity to work in the adult world.
“If they hadn’t been encouraged they would have perhaps gone down the wrong path.”
