Tradies gear up- Group Training Field Officer Clint Williams and engineering instructors Wolfgang Holzoder and Nick Wright with the latest apprentices. 67698

By Danielle Galvin
APPRENTICESHIPS in some trades are being left unfilled, despite increased competition to get into the building and construction industries.
Tom Hallinan from Apprenticeships Group Australia says that there is a lack of knowledge about some of the less popular trades, including engineering, boilermaking and fitting and turning.
“I have spots available for engineering and boilermaking apprenticeships. I know guys working as engineers at the Wonthaggi desalination plant who are making a couple thousand a week,” he said.
Apprenticeships Group Australia has just taken on 60 apprentices at their south-eastern sites and in Warragul as part of their mid-year intake.
“At the Hallam site, we have seven fitter and turners and eight boilermakers,” he said.
This year, with the two intakes, more than 1300 aspiring tradies applied for an apprenticeship with AGA. Just 140 were given apprenticeships at the nine different sites across Melbourne as part of the mid-year recruitment drive.
AGA offers apprenticeships in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, automotive, boiler making and fitting and turning.
The company guarantees employment at the end of the apprenticeship and organises work placements on behalf of their apprentices. Mr Hallinan is the recruitment manager for AGA.
“Our expectations of (apprentices) are that they have to have the right attitude to work and a willingness to learn.”
He wants young people looking into a trade to investigate the less popular apprenticeships.
“I would encourage people looking into apprenticeships to consider their alternatives. Boilermaking and fitting and turning are two of the less popular trades.
“Construction and building are the most competitive trades,” he said. Mr Hallinan believes that there are some misconceptions about fitting and turning and boilermaking.
“I think people don’t realise how many doors they can open and the career prospects that these trades can have. They are considered dirty trades when in actual fact they’re not at all.”
The applications for apprenticeships starting in January 2012 are open from August to early September.
“They start in late January, so they’ll get a break from school and get a proper holiday. Then they know their job is sorted for next year.”
Mr Hallinan is calling for anyone interested in a trade to apply on the website and says that AGA will most likely double the number of apprenticeships offered next year.
Anyone looking into an apprenticeship can contact Mr Hallinan at t.hallinan@agaustralia.com.au.