School-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs) allow high school students (usually in Years 10, 11 or 12) to earn a wage, train towards a nationally recognised qualification and study towards their Queensland Certificate of Education at the same time.
With a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship you can build an employment history before you even leave school. This can give you a head start with workplace knowledge and skills that can really take you places.
Once you have finished school, whether you enter the workforce straight away or go on to university, your school based apprenticeship or traineeship gives you the jump-start towards a successful and rewarding career!
Are you ready to jump-start your career with a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship? |
Complete an  Expression of Interest and send it to Mrs Raechelle Hart - Industry & Vocational Training Officer at rhart134@eq.edu.au
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Specific requirements
There are specific requirements for SATs that apply to:
- age limits
- paid work and minimum hours
- parental consent
- school support and timetables.
Some of the training and/or work must take place during school hours. Read more about eligibility and requirements.
How long it takes
It can take up to twice as long to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship at school, then it does to do one full-time, because school-based apprentices and trainees work fewer hours.
Traineeships
A school-based traineeship usually takes 1-2 years to complete, depending on when you start it and the type and level of the qualification. If you don't complete your traineeship before graduating, you can continue it by converting to part-time or full-time and continuing to work with your employer until you complete.
Apprenticeships
You can't complete your apprenticeship during high school because apprenticeships take longer than that. But you can start one at school, convert to part-time or full-time once you graduate and continue to work with your employer until you completed after another 2–3 years.
For example, if you start a 4-year full-time apprenticeship at the start of Year 11, you will usually have finished 1-year full-time equivalent by graduation. To continue it after school, you'll need to do approximately another 3 years full-time. So, in total, it may take you 5 years to complete.
How many hours you work
You are required to work at least 7.5 hours a week, averaged over every 3 months, for every 12 months of your training contract.
For example, if you can't work during exams, you can work more hours during the school holidays.
If you are an apprentice in the electrotechnology industry, you are required to work more hours. Learn more about required working hours.
How much you get paid
You get paid for the hours you work, but not necessarily for the hours you attend training. Read about wages and entitlements.
How training works
A training organisation will work with you and your employer to develop a training plan, which describes what, when and how you do your training.
They also deliver all your training and assessment.
Your training may be:
- online, with a trainer checking in on you regularly
- at work, with an on-site trainer
- in a class at a training organisation, like TAFE.
How often you attend training
Depending on your apprenticeship or traineeship and training organisation, you might complete your training:
- online during a spare period at school each week
- in the workplace, with a trainer who visits regularly
- with other students in a class environment on campus, either 1 or more days a week, or for a block (e.g. you might attend a 2-week block of classes).
How training counts towards your grades
Training can count towards final Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) credit points.
Credits are based on the number of 'competencies'—knowledge or skills applied to a workplace—you complete and/or the number of hours you have worked.
Different VET courses and school subjects can earn different points towards a student’s QCE. For a school based apprenticeship, the maximum credit available is 6 and for a school-based traineeship, the maximum credit available is 8. The number of credits a student can earn when studying an apprenticeship or traineeship at school will depend on the skills they learn and the hours they complete before they finish Year 12.
For more information about QCE credits, refer to the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA).
How much it costs
Some training organisations receive state government (user choice) funding, as a contribution to the cost of delivering training for priority apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications.
Note: You can only access a maximum of 2 government contributions under the user choice program.
Speak with Mrs Raechelle Hart – Industry & Vocational Training Officer for further information.
Free apprenticeships for under 25s offers fully subsidised training for 139 priority apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications in areas such as electrical, plumbing and engineering as well as early childhood, aged and disability care.
The Free apprenticeships for under 25s program will cover the cost of training for Queensland apprentices or trainees who commenced or are undertaking 1 of the 139 high priority apprenticeship or traineeship qualifications from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023. View the full list of priority qualifications.
Who is involved
SATs are a training between:
- you, the student (and your parent/guardian if applicable)
- your school
- your employer
- your training organisation, and
- an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider, who signs you up.
You sign a training contract with your employer, a formal agreement that binds you together until your apprenticeship or traineeship ends. Read about each party's role and responsibilities.
Unique Student Identifier (USI)
A USI is your individual education number. The USI stays with a student for life and allows students to access their enrolment and achievement record online through the USI Transcript Service for all vocational education and training (VET) undertaken in Australia.
If you're at university, TAFE or doing other nationally recognised training, including while you are at school you need a USI. Without one, you can't get Commonwealth financial assistance or your qualification or statement of attainment.
To get a USI please go to usi.gov.au - students will need one form of identification to create a USI along with their personal email (not @eq.edu.au) and mobile number.
Sharing your USI with education or training providers
The student must then provide the USI details to their training provider (school RTO, TAFE or other training provider) or they will not receive a statement of attainment or qualification certificate.
More information
For detailed requirements on school-based arrangements, view:
Contact
There are hundreds of qualifications that you can do through a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship.
If you'd like to find out more contact Mrs Raechelle Hart - Industry & Vocational Training Officer at rhart134@eq.edu.au