Choose from over 500 different occupations
Apprenticeships and traineeships are available for many jobs and vocations, including traditional trades and new careers across business and industry. You can work and study full time, part time or in secondary school. Apprentices and trainees are people of all ages and backgrounds, including school students, school leavers, older workers looking to reskill or change careers, women, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and First Nations peoples.
What’s the difference between apprentices and trainees?
Apprenticeships mostly provide training in a skilled trade, such as building and construction, hairdressing, cooking, electrical and automotive. Generally they can take up to 4 years to complete.
Traineeships mostly provide training in a vocational area, such as business administration, childcare, IT systems or retail. They cover a much wider range of occupations than apprenticeships do and can take anywhere from 1 to 4 years.
Both apprenticeships and traineeships are learning pathways that mix on-the-job training with formal study at a registered training organisation (RTO), usually a Victorian TAFE institute.
Check the Approved Training Scheme to see which qualifications are available as apprenticeships or traineeships.
What kind of apprenticeships and traineeships are on offer in Victoria?
Depending on what stage you’re at in your studies, and what kind of position you’re after, there are a few different types of apprenticeships and traineeships available in Victoria.
School-based apprenticeships and traineeships
School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBATs) are a great way to get a head start on your career by combining paid on-the-job training that leads to a qualification while completing your studies at school.
Pre-apprenticeship
A pre-apprenticeship is an entry-level training – a great way to experience what it’s like to work in an industry before making the commitment to become an apprentice.
Mainstream apprenticeships and traineeships
This is the main track for apprenticeships and traineeships, covering a huge range of occupations from floristry to plumbing to financial services.
What’s in it for you?
As an apprentice or trainee, you’ll complete your learning with a great mix of practical skills and formal education. This is a combination that’s always in demand by employers across industries and professions. You can find skilled employment, continue your studies, or even start your own business.
Along the way, you’ll get to earn while you learn, develop real-world skills, and get an up-close view of what your future career could look like.
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