You can find mature age apprenticeships in over five-hundred occupations throughout Australia, so how do you decide which one is for you? Step one is to do research on the ones that initially attract you the most. Here are very brief descriptions of only a couple of the most popular.

MATURE AGE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE APPRENTICESHIP

Are you an organiser? Are you someone who loves giving attention to detail? Then perhaps Accounting and Finance is a good industry to look at. With all the new technologies and changes in business models, this is an industry that is ever-changing, usually office based, but some jobs are required to work from home.

In your Mature Age Accounting Apprenticeship you would become a specialist in analysing and managing risks, management of credit, mortgages broking and general business administration.

MATURE AGE HUMAN RESOURCES APPRENTICESHIP

Are you a people person? Love socialising and dealing with people? Then perhaps a Mature Age Human Resources Apprenticeship.

In your Mature Age HR apprenticeship you will learn about how people and business go together. You will be trained to know how select and recruit staff, help solve internal problems between staff and multiple HR systems.

MATURE AGE HAIRDRESSING APPRENTICESHIPS

Are you someone who loves their fashion? Always up-to-date with the latest trends? Then consider looking into a Mature Age Hairdressing Apprenticeship.

Mature Age Hairdressing Apprenticeships are a very popular choice, and training alongside real salon experience is the key to becoming a good hairdresser.

Apart from learning the art of cutting hair, you will be taught how to deal with the administrative side of Hairdressing, as well as Health and Safety procedures. In a Mature Age Hairdressing Apprenticeship you may also have the option to learn and complete the Hairdressing Salon Management Diploma, which was created mainly for individuals who have their own salon.

Is this what you are after? Check out our Hairdressing Apprenticeships page.

MATURE AGE MINING APPRENTICESHIP

Are you someone who wants to get fit and active while working? Then a career and Mature Age Apprenticeship Mining is what you are looking for. Despite the latest recession, the Mining is a booming industry and so a great career with many possibilities in current times.

In a Mature Age Mining Apprenticeship, you will learn how to repair, analyse and use different types of machinery. You will also learn how to maintain the heavy vehicles that are used in mining, these vehicles, mainly back hoes, are essential to the industry.

Sound good? Check out our Mining Apprenticeships page.

MATURE AGE ELECTRICAL APPRENTICESHIPS

One of the most popular apprenticeships in Australia, you will be someone who is passionate about how things are put together and operate. The salaries are good and there are always jobs available.

Whilst apprentices complete their mature age electrical apprenticeships they learn a variety of useful skills, such as how to fix and maintain different types of electrical systems and networks. Their apprenticeship schedule consists mostly of getting hands-on work experience and due to the dangerous nature of the works carried out, must be done under supervision.

If a sparky sounds like you, have a look at our Electrical apprenticeships page.

Thank you and good luck.
-Mature Age Apprenticeships.org Team

One of the most asked questions we get at Mature Age Apprenticeships is – What is the difference between apprenticeships and traineeships?

The reason people do not know the difference is because both apprenticeships and traineeships are real jobs that also involve official training. In fact, they are more similar than they are different, here are but a few similarities:

• You have the same rights as any other worker
• You work just as hard
• You have a real boss to answer to.
• You get paid holidays
• In some cases you also get paid on sick days.
• They can be both full-time, part-time and even school-based.
• They both require the employer to have a training contract.
• All the training possibilities must be discussed and agreed upon prior to the start of the training. This includes things such as: length, goals, wages, who will train you and where.
• They both provide you with the opportunity to gain excellent relevant experience and contacts for your new career.

As you can see, they are very similar.

 The main difference between them is that apprentices are trained in a skilled and specific trade, whereas a trainee gets training in a vocational area. Apprenticeships are available in trades such as cabinet making, electrical mechanic, plumbing and carpentry. And traineeships are available in areas such as hospitality, IT, admin and human resources. Once you complete an Apprenticeship you will get an official certificate that states that you are a qualified trades person, whereas a traineeships leads to a certificate level II or higher in your chosen area and all of this applies the same for both school-based apprenticeships/traineeships and adult apprenticeships/traineeships.

Another difference is that traineeships have slightly shorter training periods. An apprentice with no experience or relevant skills can expect to be trained for up to a maximum four years, however most of these are two to three years long, while a trainee can usually complete the training in one to three years.

You can not go wrong with either, and deciding between them is a matter of deciding what type of work you want to be doing in your career.

Good luck and remember to email us at info@matureageapprenticeships.org with your stories and questions, we’d love to help you!
-Mature Age Apprenticeships.org Team

You have found the perfect adult apprenticeship and you would really like to apply for it, but your resume is either out dated or non existent. Don’t panic, and certainly do not rush into applying for the position. Simply, conduct extensive research in resume writing and work hard on it. Here are ten tips to help you get started and hopefully end up producing a winning resume to give yourself the best chance to be selected for an interview.

1. Open with a short profile of yourself of around 3 sentences highlighting your qualities, skills, achievements and what you are looking for.
2. Always include your interests – this is, believe it or not, an important section, as most employers look over it to see whether you would fit in with the rest of the team.
3. Your resume is a positive document about yourself, do not mention anything negative. Read everything you write out loud and ask yourself what tone of voice you used, if it has even a hint of negativity, change it.
4. Include power words, for example ‘Highly organised’ ‘Effective communication’ and ‘Strong writing skills’.
5. Try your best to relate your past experiences to the skills required for the apprenticeship – conducting a quick brainstorm is the best way of achieving this. Want to apply to Electrical Apprenticeships? Mention that you are the friend who fixes all the electrical equipment.
6. Make sure your resume is no more than 2 pages in length. Some employers receive many applications, if it is too long, they will likely skim through it.
7. Avoid repetition at all costs! Saying you did the exact same thing in two different jobs doesn’t add anything, think carefully and come up with different points to every job.
8. Be honest, but never say things such as, “I am willing to do anything”.
9. Put the thesaurus and synonyms tool to good use.
10. And the biggest mistake applicants make that end in rejections – Make sure you spell check at least three times and number your pages.

Once you get an interview, practice your interviewing skills with an independent professional or a friend.

Good luck.
-Mature Age Apprenticeships.org Team

You have decided to complete a mature age apprenticeship. Now what?

You have already taken the first step towards your new life, now comes the slightly harder part – finding a mature age apprenticeship!

Here are some general tips to help you. But remember, nothing worth having is easy in this world. So persevere and you will see the results in the end.

STEP 1

The most important thing to do whenever trying to accomplish something, is to identify your end goal. So step 1 consists of deciding what mature age apprenticeship you wish to find and complete.

As mentioned throughout our website, is that there is an overwhelming choice of mature age apprenticeships. Something around the five-hundred mark! Which can be slightly intimidating, but in actual fact, it is great as it means there is a high probability you will find multiple mature age apprenticeships that interest you. Conduct extensive research on the internet to find out about different apprenticeships and then speak to an independant professional to get further help.

An excellent source to find information is also the http://www.myfuture.edu.au website. Check it out.

 

STEP 2

Once you have narrowed your choices down to a maximum of three. You need to do a bit more research on each one. Go speak to a free careers adviser, watch videos about the specific trade on YouTube of real people sharing their experiences and if you are able to, go speak to someone who is already qualified in your chosen trade in your local area. Ask questions and get real opinions from the people who actually know what it is like.

STEP 3

Now that you know exactly what you want to apply to. You now need to update (or write) your résumé. This is a very important step and work hard on it. For detailed information on how to get a winning résumé, visit our How to write Mature Age Apprenticeship résumé page – here is a brief overview of that page.

Do:

• DO use power words, such as “I achieved”, “I accomplished”, “I completed”, “I did this”
• DO use a spell checker multiple times.
• DO include dates on everything.
• DO include all your achievements.

Don’t

• DON’T use negative language, such as “I was fired”, “I sometimes work hard” or “I think I can be a good worker”.
• DON’T use strange or exotic fonts, stick to Arial.
• DON’T write massive stories, keep it short and to the point. No longer than two pages.
• DON’T say anything negative about your previous job, such as “I was fired, but it was their fault”.

 

STEP 4

Now that your résumé is complete and looking fantastic, you need potential employers to read it.

Excellent places to look for mature age apprenticeship jobs are:

• Look at our mature age apprenticeship jobs page to find current jobs to apply to.
• Check your local newspapers.
• Go hand deliver your résumé to any business that works in your chosen trade. You may even get the chance to meet someone who has the power to hire you, so make sure you are looking sharp and that you are polite when you give your résumé over.
• Give your local Australian Apprenticeship centre a visit, they usually have boards with jobs pinned on them.
• Visit the government’s official job searching website www.jobsearch.gov.au/

 

STEP 5

Once you get an interview, you must now prepare to make a great impression and get the job! Do thorough research on the company you have your interview with. If possible, practice your interviewing and presentation skills with a friend.

STEP 6

Once you get a job offer, you must now read the contract of the new job, but before you accept, make sure you agree with everything within that contract. It is highly recommended you visit your local Australian Apprenticeship centre for free advice, to find your local centre visit www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/, or call 13 38 73. They will also help you and your employer fill in all the required paperwork to make it official and to see if you are eligible to the extra benefits you may be able to receive.
You have now started your new career.

Many congratulations, good luck with your new career and remember…

If you work hard and persevere and you WILL see long term results.

Matureageapprenticeships.org

-Mature Age Apprenticeships.org Team

In Australia, mature age apprenticeships are a crucial way to get people to obtain first hand experience and training into various trades.

They give the adult apprentices an excellent opportunity to establish relationships and create contacts. Australian adult apprenticeships are an ideal way to get your foot in the door, and if you wish to see the current opportunities available at the moment, you can search for adult apprenticeship jobs all over Australia. Including mature age apprenticeships in QLD, Victoria, WA and even NSW using the board below.

Good Luck!

Adult apprenticeship jobs

Your mature age apprentice wages will vary depending on the industrial award you are paid under, your previous experience and, of course, the industry market rate.

All wages in Australia are managed by Fair Work who can be contacted to get the latest modern award information through their website or by calling 13 13 94.
People completing a mature age apprenticeship in Australia are entitled to extra benefits from the government if you fulfil some of the following criteria:

• You are aged 25 or over.
• You are an Australian Resident.
• You are a New Zealand resident who has lived in Australia for a minimum of six months.
• If you are neither of the above, but you have a valid work visa, you may still be entitled to benefits whilst completing a mature age apprenticeship, however, some restrictions may be applied depending on your circumstances. The best thing to do is to contact the ABL Apprenticeships Centre.
• You must be in the process of completing a certificate III or IV level in a Mature Age Apprenticeship and it must be in a trade listed on the National Skills Needs list. This list can be found at http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/List.asp

Help on top of mature age apprentice wages

If eligible for financial help, during the first year you may be on course to receiving an extra $150 (Australian Dollars) a week on top of your mature age apprentice wages, which would add up to $7800 a year. This decreases after your second year (your wages should go up year on year to make up for this decrease). In your second year, and any other years that you need to complete your mature age apprenticeship, you may be on course to getting $100 a week, or $5200 a year, which again is all separate from your basic mature age apprentice wages.

If you need particular tools to complete your mature age apprenticeships and you are eligible for financial help mentioned above, you may also be entitled to receive help towards purchasing those tools. You can receive up to five bonuses that are exempt from tax, of up to $1,700 each. You will receive these bonuses during the course of your training as you reach specific milestones in your training.

If you are required to either travel long distances or live in a second home in order to complete your training, you may also be entitled to receive financial aid with your travelling and living expenses.

Once you complete your mature age apprenticeship and you are officially certified in your trade, you can expect your wages to be at least two times the amount it was previously.

Despite all this extra help you may or may not receive, the reality is that your initial mature age apprentice wages might make it a challenge to pay all the bills and outgoings, but if you persevere and make it through, you should be able to get a decent starting job (depending on industry), and your wages should increase with time and experience.

Contact your local apprenticeships centre on 13 38 73 to get advice and to find out what you may be eligible for.

“Short term pain can often lead to long term gain.”
MatureAgeApprenticeships.org

Good luck.
-Mature Age Apprenticeships.org Team