Power Australia’s future as an Electrical Trainer

The Electrical Industry Trainer and Assessor Traineeship and Scholarship Pilot (the pilot) is designed to help experienced electricians transition into training and assessment roles to support Queensland’s growing demand for skilled tradespeople.

With more people starting electrical apprenticeships, there is a rising need for qualified trainers and assessors. However, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are struggling to recruit trainers, causing delays in apprentice training – a critical issue in an industry where safety is paramount.

This program aims to increase the number of qualified trainers and assessors by supporting electricians considering a career shift. Participants will complete a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment as a fully funded, fee-free traineeship over 12 months (with a 60-day probationary period). Eligible trainees may also receive scholarships and financial incentives, and participating RTOs will be supported to expand training capacity.

TAFE Queensland hires participants as Foundation Educators on a fixed-term temporary basis while they complete their qualification. Although they train under the traineeship model, their official role is Foundation Educator within TAFE Queensland.

To apply, you must:

• Hold a Certificate III in Electrotechnology - Electrician (or equivalent)
• Have industry experience in the electrical field
• Be willing and able to complete a fee-free Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

We are hiring Foundation Educators in:

• Mount Isa
• Townsville
• Cairns
• Chinchilla
• Kingaroy
• Toowoomba
• Nambour
• Bundaberg

No. This is an earn-and-learn opportunity. Successful applicants will complete their Certificate IV in Training and Assessment on the job, with full fee support from TAFE Queensland.

At TAFE Queensland, a Foundation Educator is an educator-in-training who has industry qualifications and experience but is still working toward the required training qualification. The traineeship refers to the training model, while Foundation Educator is your job title.

The base salary for a Foundation Educator is $2,460 per fortnight, plus employer superannuation and leave loading. In addition to the base fortnightly rate of pay, there are other incentives available to appointees (see below).

Upon successful completion of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, they become eligible to be appointed to teaching roles with a higher salary ranging between $3,442–$3,897 per fortnight (negotiable upon appointment).

Incentive payments

Successful applicants will be eligible for payment of two $10,000 incentive payments. The first payment will be made to appointees once they have completed their six-month probationary period with TAFE Queensland. The second payment will be made once appointees have completed their Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and become eligible to transition to teaching positions in TAFE Queensland. These payments will be

made directly to appointees from TAFE Queensland and are subject to taxation and superannuation legislative requirements.

Scholarship payments

Successful applicants who are First Nations people, women or people in regional and remote areas* of Queensland will also receive a scholarship of $5,000 paid in two instalments:

• $2,000 after the end of the training contract probationary period (60 days)
• $3,000 if the recipient is employed by TAFE Queensland six months after completing the course, contingent upon ongoing employment with TAFE Queensland.

* regional / remote areas exclude Brisbane City, Gold Coast City, Ipswich City, Logan City, Moreton Bay Region, Sunshine Coast Region, Noosa Shire and Redland City council areas.

Remote Area Incentive Scheme

Successful appointees to the roles in Mount Isa, Kingaroy and Chinchilla are also eligible for payments of up to $25,000 per annum for working in these locations. The type and amount of these incentives is paid at the discretion of the delegated officer and are negotiable upon appointment.

Competitive Remuneration Allowance

Depending on the skills and experience you bring to the role, TAFE Queensland may choose to seek approval to offer a Competitive Remuneration Allowance on top of the base wage for a Foundation Educator. The amount of the allowance and approval to offer is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Foundation Educators can be employed on either a full-time or part-time basis.

A full-time Foundation Educator works 36.25 hours per week. Included in this is 4.25 hours of study development time for you to complete your study and any assessments required as part of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Each week, you’ll have 4.25 hours of study development time for you to complete your study and any assessments required as part of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

In addition, Foundation Educators have five weeks per year of professional development time to complete any necessary course work and assessments.

The Foundation Educator role is a transition position to help experienced tradespeople enter the Vocational Education and Training (VET) profession. Once you complete your Certificate IV, you can move into a permanent teaching role.

Please refer to the TAE Pathway document for further information.

Yes. Maintaining industry currency is important to ensure our students are being taught by those with active engagement in current practices and processes.

Many of our teachers continue part-time work in the field, either in their own business or through an electrical contractor. If you do wish to maintain employment outside of TAFE Queensland, you’ll need to declare the secondary employment to the appropriate delegate to ensure there’s no conflict of interest.

In addition to study development time and professional development time, you will be assigned a mentor who will help you gain hands-on teaching experience and guide you through your training to becoming a fully qualified teacher.

TAFE Queensland also has a professional learning network for Foundation Educators which meets on a regular basis.

Once you've completed your Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, you will be offered ongoing permanent or fixed-term temporary employment as a Teacher or Tutor within the Electrical faculty – either at the campus where you’ve been working or at another campus where vacancies are available.

What benefits do TAFE Queensland employees receive?

• Generous employer superannuation contributions of 12.75%
• Flexible work arrangements
• Salary packaging (employee superannuation contributions, novated leases, etc.)
• Purchased leave options
• Paid professional development
• Corporate health insurance discounts (Bupa, Westfund)
• IT equipment discounts through Lenovo, Dell, Apple, etc.
• Free parking

Please refer to the TAFE Queensland Award – State 2016 and the TAFE Queensland Educators Certified Agreement 2023 or contact the officers listed in the job ad.