WILLIAMSTOWN builder John Robb is pleased that his carpentry apprentices are spending more time on the job and less time at trade school under Victoria University’s new approach to apprenticeship training.
TradeApps, which is being rolled out across 14 VU trade areas including hairdressing, hospitality, boatbuilding, carpentry and painting, is a win all-round.
Apprentices can complete their TAFE training more quickly, employers have their apprentices on the job more hours, and VU’s taskforce of mobile teachers can assess apprentices’ skills on real-life projects. For employers like John, who has taken on about 10 Victoria University apprentices during his 25 years as a western suburbs builder, the new approach is long overdue. “Many apprentices don’t like being in the classroom, they want to be on the job,” he said. “Now I’m paying them to learn at work, not at school.”
VU’s new system can reduce the time apprentices spend at school from 18 weeks over a three or four-year apprenticeship to just a few weeks, depending on how quickly they prove they’ve mastered necessary skills.
