Apprentice – Electrician, NSW

Naomi Lawrie shocked her friends in her final year at school when she announced she had come to a decision about her future career.

“I told them I wanted to be an electrician and they couldn’t believe it,” she remembers.

“One had decided to be a nurse, another a drama teacher and one an accountant, so they thought I was crazy.”

The 18-year-old from Sydney’s southern suburbs had turned down a place at Wollongong University, studying nuclear science, for a four-year apprenticeship with Energy Australia.

“I knew that Energy Australia was a good company and had one of the best apprenticeship programs in Australia. I also knew that I’d get paid to do the training and come out with a trade and a job,” she says.

“When you graduate from university you still have to find a job and have HECS debt.”

To land the electrical apprenticeship, Lawrie applied to do Energy Australia’s aptitude test at TAFE. She was then asked in for an interview.

“You’re interviewed by the apprenticeship trainers and you get asked basic electricity questions, general knowledge questions and other stuff related to trade.

“I also had to do a colour-blind test as you have to be able to recognise different-coloured wires to be an electrician.”

Lawrie was one of 168 apprentices who started work at Energy Australia in January. The company’s learning and development manager Tom Emeleus says 40 per cent of Energy Australia’s apprentices are mature-aged, defined as 21 and over.

“We generally employ three types of apprentices: line workers, cable jointers and electricians. We also have a small number of motor mechanics and fitter machinists to support the trades,” Emeleus says.

“The main attraction of working with us is that we deliver national qualifications, which our apprentices could go on and use anywhere. Saying that, we have a 97 per cent retention rate.

“Our apprenticeship wages are also significantly higher than the rest of the market,” he adds.

Lawrie is based at Energy Australia’s Meadowbank training centre in Sydney’s northern suburbs. It is one of four NSW training centres owned by Energy Australia.

“There’s about 80 of us here and I’m one of six girls, which is quite a lot compared to other years,” Lawrie says.

“In the first year of the four-year apprenticeship you spend a lot more time at TAFE. It’s the equivalent of two years of study in one year. We rotate TAFE with work, doing four weeks at each.”

Right now, Lawrie is making a battery charger that involves using sheet metal as well as doing a lot of drilling, wiring and circuit work.

“It’s very practical, hands-on work, which I prefer as I lose concentration over the mental stuff. It’s also great to be able to build things, because at the end of the project you can actually see what you have created.”

For school leavers interested in doing an electrical apprenticeship, Lawrie says it helps to be good at maths and to like using your hands.

“Maths is a big part of electrical work as you need to be able to figure out circuit stuff and how long wires have to be, and if you’re good with tools and building stuff you’ll probably do very well.”

How to be an electrician
Qualifications To become a qualified tradesperson requires a four-year apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are made up of theory-based studies and on-the-job training.

Course
Apprentice electricians have to complete a certificate III in electrotechnology, which is a three-year course.

Assumed knowledge
School leavers considering an electrical apprenticeship are expected to have completed Years 10, 11 or 12 and have sound maths and communication skills.

Cost
Energy Australia pays the TAFE fees required to complete an electrical apprenticeship. For students not enrolled in an Australian Apprenticeship the TAFE NSW fee to do Certificate III is $670 per year or $335 for a one-semester course.

From the inside
“You need to have a genuine interest in your chosen career and to research the companies in that field to find out their values and goals. It is also important to research the functions of the position to ensure you and the job are compatible. By doing the research you are keeping your options open,” Naomi says.