An apprenticeship or traineeship is a great career option. It combines structured, nationally-recognised training and a great qualification with paid on-the-job experience – you get to EARN while you LEARN.

It can be the starting point of a rewarding career in a huge range of industries. It can take you to being your own boss or it can lead you to higher education choices using the qualification you’ll get as a base to build upon.

You’ll be amazed at the enormous range of apprenticeships and traineeships available.

Download the Apprenticeship Listing and the Traineeship Listing PDF's

There are many types of apprenticeships and traineeships available. There are many trade qualifications, and there are also certificate level qualifications in areas such as retail, business, health and community services and IT – just to name a few. Check out the huge range of choices by clicking on the pdf Full Lists to download.

The skills you will get are in strong demand. For more info on particular areas of skills shortages, see the section on skill shortages on this website. There are now amazing opportunities for apprentices and trainees.

You can either find an apprenticeship/traineeship yourself by looking in the newspapers, asking people you or your family know or just contacting employers in your chosen field of interest.  Check out the section on this website under Work & Employment > Jobsearch Toolbox > Find a Job – you’ll find some great advice there on how to go about approaching employers.

Another alternative is to go to a Group Training Organisation or GTO. If you are successful in applying for an apprenticeship or traineeship with them, they become your employer and they then place you with host employers for your paid work. If for some reason the host employer cannot keep you on, the GTO then finds another employer for you to continue your apprenticeship/traineeship with. It means that you are secure in knowing that you will be employed for the duration of your apprenticeship and you can also get the benefit of a wider range of workplaces. The GTO pays your wages, superannuation etc, just like a regular employer. They also arrange your training for you and help you with any problems you might have.

There is a full list of Group Training Organisations in the “Jobseekers Guide to Local Services” on this website. Just click on “Work & Employment” menu, then “Jobseekers Guide to Local Services” and click on the “download”.

You can also print this list out as well. GTO’s are a free service, so give them a call today. We’ve also included links to the local GTO’s here in the links section on the right.

Which ever way you get your apprenticeship or traineeship, you will also complete structured learning at a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) as the “learning” part of your apprenticeship or traineeship. This may be at a TAFE or it may be at a private college. There are several different RTO’s in Penrith and you can find them all on the “Jobseekers Guide to Local Services” under the Work & Employment Menu on this website. There are also links to the local RTO’s right here in the links section.