Parents & Friends

Everyone benefits from the support and encouragement of parents, carers, family members and friends, especially when trying to work out where and how they are going to start or change their working life.

Parents and close family members are known to be the biggest influence on young people's career decision making. You can actively support another person in their career decisions and ongoing journey by:

• Spending time to build an understanding of what interests them, and where these interests might lead them, including possible occupations and training needs
• Listening without judgement as they test out their ideas
• Introducing the idea that your working life can take you in many different directions so the initial career decision may be a starting point not a lifelong commitment
• Carefully offering your perspective and discussing why it is you have that opinion.

Further Information and Resources

It is important to check your own understanding of the careers landscape, and find resources that can support you and the person you are influencing. Some things you may consider doing include:

• Offering to help make an action plan so that the task of making a career decision is broken down into achievable next steps. You can use the Steps to an Australian Apprenticeship to find information on what might be involved.
• Find out about Who is Involved in an Australian Apprenticeship, and who you could get assistance from.
• CEAV Career Counseling Australia provides a range of resources to support parents and carers explore careers and the world of work and help support young people in their personal career planning and management. 

The AAPathways website provides up-to-date and reliable information and resources illustrating the breadth of apprenticeship and traineeship options. Some of the key areas of the website are:

• The Industry Information area provides a general background brief on major industry sectors.
• The Work Type Explorer, and the more detailed Career Interest Explorer, work from very general ideas of seven work environments to help people identify the strengths and skills needed in their industry or occupation interests.
• The Job & Training Description search option allows for a search through broad industry categories toward more detailed information, helping refine a person's interests.

Supporting a new apprentice or trainee

Starting work of any kind can be quite daunting, so providing the right tools to navigate a new apprenticeship or traineeship is important.

As they are learning while they are earning and have signed a Training Contract the new apprentice or trainee must be aware of what they are required to do. Go through the contract together so that you both understand the on-the-job and off-the-job training requirements. It is their apprenticeship and they must own it, which means that you can provide guidance and support but it is up to the person with the job, unless they are under 18, to address any concerns themselves.

There is a lot of material available for people entering the work force which you can direct your new apprentice or trainee to, especially if they feel overwhelmed by the workplace.  Have a look at the resources on the Post Recruitment Information page for ideas. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to other supporting agencies.

If your young person is offered a mentor for their apprenticeship or traineeship, we would strongly suggest that they take up the offer as they will have someone that understands the complexities of completing an apprenticeship.

If the person you are supporting is experiencing difficulties at work it is important to provide them with the support and information to deal with their situation quickly and effectively.  Each state and territory government has field officers to help resolve difficulties with an Australian Apprenticeship. They will need to be consulted if either party is considering cancelling the contract of training.

The Fair Work website has some handy information about what constitutes bullying or harassment and their pay calculator will ensure that you and your new apprentice or trainee understand their wage and entitlements.