Apprentices

Australian Apprenticeships

The path to becoming a locksmith is via an Australian Apprenticeship or Traineeship which are available under Australian Government schemes. Both programs offer a flexible program whereby students can combine on-the-job paid work at their workplace with training and theory in the classroom.

These programs are also available to mature age students and:

• provide a career pathway from school to work or from one career to another;
• lead to nationally recognised qualifications and skils;
• involve paid work and structured training that can be on-the-job, off-the-job or a combination of both;
• recognise existing skills and prior experience which can potentially reduce the usual amount of formal training;
• offer a range of financial incentives to students and their employers.

Locksmithing Training

The TAFE sector offers the following certificate and/or diploma courses in locksmithing:

Specialised locksmithing training is not provided by the TAFE sector in South Australia, Tasmania, Canberra, Darwin, regional Australia or New Zealand.  Students in these locations are therefore obliged to attend the TAFE college nearest to them and in such cases travel and living-away-from home subsidies are available. For example, New Zealand students attend NMIT for a 3-week block training session in their first year of studies and again in second year.  The remainder of their training is then completed at tertiary trade colleges in New Zealand.

NMIT has produced a video which features interviews with apprentices and employers and provides an insight into the content of the training course.  This video can be viewed by following this link:

     http://www.nmit.vic.edu.au/courses/manufacturing/video/nmit_locksmithing_356.html

The First Steps

The first step to becoming a locksmith is to find an employer willing to employ an apprentice or trainee.  This can be done by contacting local locksmiths directly, registering with a number of employment agencies or by visiting Centrelink.  Checking the employment section of local newspapers is also recommended.

The next step is for the employer to contact an Australian Apprenticeship Centre (AAC) to organise the required agreements and training components.

Support for Australian Apprentices

The Australian Government recognises that apprentices are one of the nation's most valuable resources and supports them through a range of financial and other incentives.  Some of these benefits are only available to students in trades which have been identified by the Governemnet as experiencing a national skills shortage.  As the result of representations made by the Master Locksmiths Association, locksmithing was added to the Migrant Occupation in Demand List (MODL) in 2007. 

The range of benefits includes:

• Training Vouchers - valued at up to $500 and available to eligible first and second year apprentices in a skills shortage trade;
• Apprentice Wage Top-Up - Australian Apprentices who are aged under 30 when they commence their apprenticeship, and are in their first or second year of a Cerificate III or IV course in a trade experiencing a skills shortage, may be eligible for tax-free payments of $2,000 payable in for $5oo instalments;
•  Financial support for mid-career students aged 30 years or more to upgrade their skills through an apprenticeship in a trade experiencing a skills shortage;
• An $800 Tool Allowance is available to apprentices in trades experiencing skills shortages.
• Living-away-from Home Allowances
• Rural and Regiona incentives.

Full details of these incentives and how to apply for them are available at:

• www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au 
• www.toolsforyourtrade.com.au

Apprentice of the Year Award

This annual award honours the memory of the late John Andrew who was the Association's inaugural Life Member and a winner of the A.L. Chantry Memorial Award for the Pursuit of Excellence.  Eligible apprentices employed by MLAA Business members in Australia and New Zealand are invited to participate in this competition which involves a series of rigorous trade tests.

For further details about past winners and application criteria please click here.