1,000 Adult Resource Sector Apprenticeships now open for application

The National Apprenticeships Program (NAP) for the minerals and petroleum resources sectors is seeking Expressions of Interest from applicants prepared to undertake an Advanced Entry Adult Apprenticeship and work anywhere in Australia. Expressions of Interest from overseas tradespeople whose qualification are not recognised in Australia are also encouraged to apply.

More than 1,000 advanced entry adult apprenticeships will be available, initially in Queensland and Western Australia.

About the Program

The National Apprenticeships Program (NAP) incorporates the best features of the Advanced Entry Adult Apprenticeship Scheme (AEAAS) within a national framework.

Employers will identify their priorities for the trades required; and the numbers of apprentices to be supported. The pilot intake will recruit 1,000 advanced entry adult apprentices for the initial 18-month program.  Subsequent intakes will be recruited every 18 months though the life of the Program. Participants will be selected through a robust independent assessment process from the existing workforce within the resources sectors, or as ‘new recruits’ from the general population with the appropriate skills.

Participants will enter the program only after successful Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment for at least 40% of trade requirements for the specified trades. This 40% will be measured against skills identified by industry as valuable for immediate application when the apprentices are deployed to site. It is envisaged that intakes of participants will graduate every 18 months, or sooner, and every apprentice will be required to agree to deploy to any site anywhere in Australia for the period of the indenture. Existing employees recruited to NAP would return to their employer.

RPL assessment, gap training and assessments will be provided by participating Registered Training Offices (RTOs) across Australia. These RTOs will work together to develop and share common training and assessment materials and practices using a ‘blended delivery’ framework.

The pilot Program will commence with an intake target of 250 successful applicants, from both Western Australia and Queensland, before rolling out to other States and the Northern Territory to achieve the total pool of 1,000 for the first 18-months.

Participating employers would be encouraged to suggest that their own employees may wish to apply to join the NAP Selection Process.

Apprentices will be indentured to a participating GTO in their home State or Territory, but will be ‘badged’ and hosted by participating employers and may be deployed anywhere in Australia. The Group Training Offices (GTOs) will provide full group training services, including all administrative services required to meet obligations under individual jurisdictional legislation for vocational training. Participants will be allocated to a single employer (existing employees to their own employer), rather than be subject to the standard GTO process of rotation among several employers.

Resource sector enterprises will contract GTOs to coordinate the on-the-job and off-the-job training needs of the apprentices. Naturally, host employers will have first option to employ graduates following qualification.

To review the opportunities and to apply, click here: https://nationalapprenticeships.com.au/#iMINCO