Types of courses
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a training program, designed to provide students with employment that allows them to learn a trade and gain a nationally recognised qualification. It is for structured training, on the job or in a classroom - in a full-time or part-time paid position.
An apprenticeship is a contract of training between the apprentice, the employer and a training provider like Swinburne.
What is a traineeship?
A traineeship is a training program designed to provide students with employment allowing them to learn on the job about a non-trade area and gain a nationally recognised qualification.
It is an opportunity to complete training on the job or in a classroom, in a full-time or part-time paid position.
What is a pre-apprenticeship?
A pre-apprenticeship is a course of training prior to an apprenticeship aimed to give you a taste of a trade and future study environment. However, it does not guarantee that you will be offered an apprenticeship. In some industries, employers prefer you to have completed a pre-apprenticeship.
You do not need to have an employer to do a pre-apprenticeship course. Courses usually take eight to 16 weeks and prepare a you for an apprenticeship by teaching the basic skills of the trade.
What is an Australian School Based Apprenticeship (ASBA)?
An ASBA is open to students 15 years of age or over who are undertaking the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). Speak to your school’s Career Practitioner for further details.
Please note that although the Australian government uses the term ‘Australian Apprenticeships’ (covering both apprenticeships and traineeships), Victoria still refers to ‘apprenticeships’ and ‘traineeships’ individually.Training contract
To become an apprentice, trainee or ASBA, you must sign a training contract. it is signed by all parties (and by your parent or guardian if you are under 18) and is a legally bonding agreement.
The three parties to the signing of the training contract are:
- the employer
- the apprentice or trainee
- the Australian Apprenticeship Centre (AAC) representative
The training contract must be filled in with the assistance of a chosen AAC representative. At the signing of the contract, the employer selects a registered training organisation (RTO), like Swinburne, to deliver the training.
