Get the Apprenticeship: how employers pick apprentices, for school leavers, mature age and parents

Big apprentice intakes get far more applications than places. Most people who miss out aren't short on ability. They're let down by the application, the aptitude test or the interview, and nobody tells them which.

This guide tells you, from someone who has sat on the panels that pick apprentices.

Inside:

• How apprenticeships actually work: training contracts, group training, school-based and pre-apprenticeships
• Which trade: the trades in demand in mining and construction, and how to choose
• Where the places really come from, beyond the big names everyone applies to
• What employers look for, in the order panels weigh it
• The application and cover letter, plus a section just for parents: what helps and what quietly hurts
• Aptitude tests and assessment days: what's tested and how to prepare
• The apprentice interview, with good answers to the common questions
• If you miss out: what to do next
• A 12-month plan, term by term

Works for school leavers, adults starting a trade later, and the parents helping them. Opens in any browser, plus a print-ready PDF.

Written by The Hiring Desk: twenty years in HR across Australian mining and construction.

General information only. Wages, support and training rules differ by state. Check apprenticeships.gov.au and your state training department.