It’s already June and time to start thinking about your apprentice and trainee requirements for 2010. Our major intake will take place in the October 2010 school holidays.

Now is a good time to place a forward order for your apprentices so that we can keep you in mind as we are screening and interviewing the 2010 school leavers. If you are unsure of what 1300apprentice can do for you, why not book us in for a no obligation 30 minute consultation where we can explain how we can help and what the next steps are.

By communicating your requirements early we are able to target the most ideal apprentice or trainee for your business.

PS: Watch out for our Expressions of Interest quick online form in next month's eNewsletter which will allow you to give us a heads up on your future needs.

Here at 1300apprentice we have a wealth of knowledge amongst us and we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate, Sue Charnock who has been working with us for ten years. Many of you will know Sue as the Manager of our Canberra division who sums up her tens years saying that “rewards are when you sign up an apprentice or trainee, mentor them and then watch them grow and develop and complete their qualification to go onto bigger and brighter places."

"At present I am promoting and employing school-based and full-time Indigenous Trainees for our host employers the ANZ bank and NAB. I'm finding this very rewarding as the trainees I employed late last year are just thriving and enjoying their time at the bank."

Sue started in the industry in 2000 and within 3 months was offered a traineeship. She completed her Certificate II and then her Certificate III Business Administration traineeship. It was also in this period of her traineeship that she took on the role of a Field Officer. In 2003 Sue won the Business Administration Certificate III Trainee of the Year for the Illawarra Area. She has also completed her Certificate IV in Training and Accessing and also completed two OH&S Certificates in that time frame. Soon after she was again promoted to Manager of the Capitol Skills Centre, our Canberra division.

Over her time as Manager of the Capitol Skills Centre Sue said "I have had a number of apprentices who have won Apprentice of the Year in the Illawarra area in their chosen trades. This is a big highlight for the apprentice, the host employer and myself, as we have all played an active roll throughout the apprenticeship term. The highlight for me is to see the face of the apprentice when their name is called - a picture says a thousand words."

Well done Sue and congratulations on 10 years of service. We look forward to the next 10 years.

Employers want to know that you understand the job that you are applying for, including the tasks and duties you think you will perform. The more you know about the company and the job you are applying for, the more desirable a candidate you will be to the employer. If you are able to communicate your knowledge about the job in the interview it will give you a leading edge and you will be the most memorable candidate.

Here are some tips that could help you gather the right information:

• Speak to any people you know who are already in the trade.
• Jot down the tasks and duties that are involved in the job and try to commit them to memory.
• Don't be afraid to show your passion for a job or the industry - your interest in the work is very high on any employers wish list.
• Research the company - your potential employer will love it if they can see you know about their business. Your interest in their company and the role shows that you are serious about the job.
• Show your knowledge, be enthusiastic and also realistic about the job and the tasks involved.

At the end of an interview, the fact that you knew about the job, helps an employer decide that you are the right candidate.

Our trade spotlight this month is on Greg Riach, Head Teacher in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning division at Ultimo TAFE. Greg is passionate about the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning trade - not only for the work itself but also in his commitment to the apprentices under his tutelage. He has quite a few family members in the teaching profession so it was a natural step in his career to become a teacher. Greg loves guiding young people and uses his own experiences to help get them through their trade qualification.

The most rewarding aspect of Greg’s job is the concept of seeing apprentices that he taught from their first year going on to be great tradesmen, running their own businesses and putting their own apprentices back through Ultimo TAFE. 

Greg believes that an apprenticeship is a great career path, especially in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. Greg says, "you are taught skills that are with you for the rest of your life and you can set yourself up well, financially. You never stop learning - even us teachers can learn from our students.” 

Greg is a great believer in continual improvement and has worked hard over the years to gain better facilities for his division. Due to refurbishments, they have now been able to modernise and improve workshops and offices.

To find out more about this trade check out the Hot Link section below for the Skills One website or go to the TAFE website for more information on this course.

We thought we would share these fun photos of 1300apprentice trainee, Sarah Felettigh getting involved in a marketing campaign for the Chartered Accounting firm RSM Bird Cameron where she works as a Business Trainee.

We love to see what our apprentices and trainees get up to and the fun tasks that they are called on to perform.

Another fun part for 1300apprentice is congratulating our winning apprentices and trainees!

Congratulations to 1300apprentice carpenters Shane Rolf and Justin Poidevin who won Gold and Bronze medals respectively at the 2010 World Skills National Competition in Brisbane last month. Thank you also to Shane’s host, Quality Country Homes and Justin’s hosts, Matt Plunkett Building and Robert Hendry Building for your support and assistance of these two young apprentices. For more information on World Skills or to see pictures of the recent competition Visit the World Skills website >.

Our congratulations also go to 1300apprentice Sheetmetal Apprentice Todd Philp (featured in our February eNewsletter) who won the TAFE NSW Encouragement of the Year Award at the recently held Sheetmetal Industry Association Awards evening. Todd received a voucher to the value of $800.00 to spend on any TAFE course of his choice. Well done Todd!

We are happy to report that we had no injuries for the month of May 2010. Well done to everyone and keep working safely.

This month Workcover have issued a safety alert on the safe use of portable ladders following two recent incidents where painters fell from ladders and suffered serious injuries. It is a timely reminder to any of our apprentices that if you are working from heights and there are safer options available (such as scaffolding or elevated work platforms) always choose to use these options instead of a portable ladder.

For more info: go to the Workcover website >

Do you know about Enterprise Connect - a $50 million a year Australian Government initiative designed to assist Australian small and medium enterprises. Through a national network of Enterprise Connect Centres, highly skilled Business Advisers deliver integrated practical services that help SMEs improve productivity, build internal capacity and capitalise on their growth potential. Go to the Enterprise Connect website to apply >.

What's On?
Check out the Southern Districts Career Expo on the 30 June 2010.

Hot LInks
Check out a SkillsOne Video for Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic or one of their many other fantastic insights in to what it's like to get a trade or skill. Visit the SkillsOne website >.

Check out the Enterprise Connect website to see if you may be eligible for valuable government support for your small to medium sized business.

We have a number of fantastic opportunities listed at the moment so go to our website to see our latest HOT JOBS.

Follow us on Twitter to be the first to know about new opportunities.