I Want to Be an Apprentice - What's Next?
Landscaping Careers - Apprentice Opportunities
Step by Step Guide
- Find an Employer! How? Have a look for Apprentice ship opportunities on the Landscaping Victoria Master Landscapers website, look on Seek, or contact your local TAFE.
- Do a work trial with them for 2 weeks (to see if you like working for them and you like the work. The 2 weeks can be recognised as time served in your apprenticeship. This is the maximum time an apprenticeship can be back dated)
- Once you and the Employer have agreed that they will employ you as an Apprentice, the Employer needs to contact an Apprenticeship Network Provider
List of Apprenticeship Network Provider Centre's
1. MEGT – 136 348
2. MAS National – 1300 627 628
3. Apprenticeship Support Australia – 1300 363 831
4. Sarina Russo – 1300 178 776
- The Apprenticeship Network Provider Centre will come to your workplace and you will complete a Training Agreement. You will agree to work for the Employer as an Apprentice and the Employer agrees to train you and register you with a TAFE (RTO) for trade school. The Training Agreement is sent to a government department called VRQA where all apprentices are registered.
- Once this agreement has been completed and signed, the TAFE will receive all of your, and your employers, details from the VRQA so the TAFE can contact your employer to get you enrolled for Trade school (which typically you will attend 1 day per week).
- The TAFE will contact you and ask you to complete a Basic English and Maths assessment (BKSB). The BKSB helps the TAFE identify any areas where you may need additional support to help you achieve your goals.
- The TAFE will then enrol you in the Units of Competency, email you and your employer the start date and timetable.
- Once you have completed and passed all your units of competency (typically in 3-4 years) the TAFE will inform your employer. Your employer will then decide if you are competent on the job in all the units (referred to as ‘signing off’ your apprenticeship).
- Once you have been signed off as competent you will be awarded your Certificate and have your trade qualification!
Table of abbreviations and definitions:
TAFE – Technical And Further Education
RTO - Registered Training Organisation
VRQA – Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority
BKSB – Basic Key Skills Builder
