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Pre-apprenticeship builds Angelo's employability
Angelo enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship course to make himself the best job applicant possible for a plumbing apprenticeship.
Angelo Warner is completing a Certificate II in Plumbing Services (11054NAT) at TAFE Queensland’s Alexandra Hills campus to get his foot in the door with a great plumbing employer.
The recent high school graduate saw many job listings for plumbing apprentices mentioned the pre-apprenticeship qualification as desirable, and keen to build his skills and make sure plumbing was everything he wanted, Angelo enrolled in the 10 week, part time course.
“I knew plumbing was a good job where there will always be work, but I wanted some experience of what it was like to be a plumber and I saw so many job ads asking for the pre-apprenticeship, so I looked up the course and enrolled,” Mr Warner said.
The plumbing pre-apprenticeship gives students theoretical and practical training in entry-level plumbing skills such as setting out trenches.
“I’m really enjoying the course, and I’ve been surprised at how technical and specific the Australian Standards are in plumbing. Things like the angle of fall in trenches needing to be specific is something I hadn’t considered before, and it makes me definitely want to be a plumber.”
“To see that it’s a technical trade and there’s a lot of thinking and problem solving involved makes it a good career with different things each day. Talking to the teachers at TAFE it’s interesting too how different their careers are from each other, but all in plumbing.”
“I know there’ll always be work in plumbing as well, there are always new houses and buildings needing plumbing and then there’s all the plumbing out there that needs fixing, so I know if I go into this career I’ll always have plenty of work available,” he said.
TAFE Queensland’s pre-apprenticeship courses are available at the Alexandra Hills campus and across the state in a wide variety of industries, giving students like Angelo skills to set them apart from other job applicants and confirm their interest in a career before investing their time in an apprenticeship.
Students that complete a pre-apprenticeship course and don’t have an employer organised for an apprenticeship by the end can join TAFE Queensland’s Find Your Apprentice database to be matched with an appropriate employer.