Looking for an apprenticeship as an adult can sometimes be daunting, especially when people haven't been job hunters for a long time. Searching for Australian Apprenticeships is no different from looking for any job in that all rely on an employer deciding to recruit.
There is no such thing as a separate type of adult apprenticeship - to find out more take a look at the What are Adult Apprenticeships? page.
Because adult apprenticeships and traineeships aren't a different category, the ways to find a position are similar for everyone. The processes in the Steps to an Australian Apprenticeship, and information in the Finding an Australian Apprenticeship page are relevant for adults.
As an adult you may have a more developed network and contacts than school leavers. You should take advantage of these as a job hunter to research the industry and occupation you are targeting, and to find potential employers. You should also contact employers directly.
You will have transferrable skills from previous paid or unpaid roles that employers are looking for, such as time management and working well in teams. As an adult, you also have life experiences that can be valuable to employers. You should showcase your interest and determination to get into the industry, and demonstrate to the employer that you are dedicated to this career change.
Recommendations for adult job hunters:
- Start your job hunting by looking at the large employers first. They may be less likely to be concerned about the difference in wages between an adult and younger apprentice or trainee.
- If you are looking on job sites and you find that a position does not specify that they are after 'adult apprentices' contact them anyway to ask whether they would consider the option. They may not know that they can hire adult apprentices.
- Focus some of your job hunting efforts on contacting employers directly (cold calling). By doing this, you potentially cut out a lot of applicant competition.
- When speaking with employers, you need to market yourself. You need to be able to convince them why they should hire you over a younger apprentice, or anyone else of course.
- Don't give up! Keep in mind that it can be a challenge to convince some employers to take on an adult apprentice but it is becoming a more popular option.