At 1300apprentice we enjoy communicating with our facebook friends, twitter followers and followers of our blog and eNewsletter, but there a couple of guidelines that we have in place for 1300apprentice employees in relation to the discussion of topics involving employees and host employers.

If you are a 1300apprentice employee or host employer, please take the time to read through our social media policy so that you are aware of what 1300apprentice classifies as the misuse of social media in relation to our organisation, and the steps that will be taken if the policy is breached.

Below is a basic outline to the best practices for the use of social media to prevent any disciplinary action:

• Be respectful – do not post any material that is, or may be considered obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, threatening, abusive or embarrassing to another person
• Abide by the law and respect copyright laws – ensure written permission is in place to use or reproduce any copyrighted text, photo’s, graphics, logo’s, trade marks or other material owned by others
• Take responsibility – the person posting the comments can and will be personally liable for any derogatory comments using social media

Note this policy does not apply to personal use of social media platforms where there is no reference to 1300apprentice or host employer related issues.

To view the entire 1300apprentice social media policy click here. For future reference, our social media policy is permanently located under the resources tab on our website.

Jesse commenced his career by completing a Certificate II Horticulture traineeship, which provided him with an understanding of what the apprenticeship involved without a four year commitment.

We met with Jesse at Eden gardens to ask him about the Parks and Gardens Apprenticeship, why he chose this trade for his apprenticeship and to take a few photo’s of some of the gardens Jesse has built and currently maintains.

As we arrived, Jesse was busy doing some topiary which is one of his favourite aspects of the trade.

When asked why he chose to do this apprenticeship Jesse said “I first did a Cert II Horticulture traineeship with Eden gardens and I really enjoyed it. I received some really good feedback from my supervisor and from there I was offered the opportunity to complete a parks and gardens apprenticeship with them, which I jumped at. It’s an excellent opportunity for me to build a career from. I love watching the work unfold and seeing the gardens transform over time. My favourite part of the job would be topiary-making and seeing the different shapes I’m learning to trim the plants back to.”

Recently Jesse visited the Melbourne International Garden and Flower Show with his supervisor to have a look at some of the gardens for inspiration. This is the second year that Jesse has visited this event giving him the opportunity to learn from exhibitors and put his ideas into practice at Eden Gardens.

Jesse said that this is an excellent trade and a great alternative to a Landscaping apprenticeship. It’s not as physically demanding which is better for later on in his career and it offers plenty or room for progression.

When asked about the most challenging part of his apprenticeship Jesse said “learning the botanical names of all the plants, it’s pretty hard”.

Whilst we were visiting Jesse, we asked Jesse’s supervisor Ben Lyte what benefit Eden Gardens has gained out of having Jesse on board. “Having Jesse as an apprentice is really useful because not only do we benefit from having an extra set of helping hands, but the enthusiasm and new knowledge that Jesse brings to the garden as he learns new things at TAFE really benefits our workplace”.

We’d like to wish Jesse the best of luck for his upcoming trip to Papua New Guinea where he’ll be walking the Kokoda trail, and we also look forward to seeing him develop through the rest of his apprenticeship.

For 1300apprentice, up until recently lacerations have been our most frequently occurring injury amongst our employees. In early February we started supplying a new variety of gloves to our apprentices who are at a high risk of incurring laceration injuries. Since the introduction of these gloves the occurrence of lacerations injuries has fallen 78.98% and the severity of the injury has fallen 93.11%. Statistics such as these prove that wearing the correct PPE all the time greatly reduces the frequency and severity of injuries. The gloves are an Ansell product and are made with Dyneema® fibres which are extremely strong.

For more information on anything WH&S related or if you require any addition PPE, please don’t hesitate to contact our WH&S Manager Darren Gibson on 02 9715 7344 or by emailing d.gibson@1300apprentice.com.au.

Click here to visit the Ansell website for more information on these gloves.

When you are applying for an apprenticeship you still need to take a professional approach even though you may not have a great deal of experience. Employers receive hundreds of resumes per day and they do not have the time to read each one thoroughly, so they will only contact those applicants whose resumes are easy to read and show relevant information relating to the job.

Your resume is what you use to introduce yourself to an employer. It is like a key, unlocking that door and letting you into the employer’s world.

Let us take a look at the basic mistakes people make with resumes:

Spelling/Grammar
This is so important. If you cannot get this right even with spell-check available, your resume will look sloppy and the employer will assume that this is how your work performance will be. Get someone to proof read it for you before sending.

Employment Dates
If you are vague about your employment dates, the employer will think you are hiding something. Putting just the year down for a job does not tell the employer how long you were there for and if they cannot determine this easily, your resume may be bypassed. You will not be expected to put the exact dates but certainly the month and year should be included.

Job Duties
It is important for you to list the duties involved in your previous jobs so that the employer can decide if they are relevant to the job. Leaving this section blank again gives the employer the opportunity to bypass your resume. When listing the duties of your previous jobs it is much better to list them using bullet points.

No Resume attached?
It is unbelievable how many people apply for jobs with no resume attached. Any job you apply for on-line or from print advertising must include a resume. There are no exceptions. If you don’t have one then you need to build one. You will not get past the front door with any reputable employer without a resume.

Unprofessional Email Addresses
If you include an email address in your resume, please make sure it is a professional one. Professional email addresses usually are for example firstname.surname@hotmail.com or similar.

Correct Personal Information
There is nothing more frustrating for an employer when they telephone your number only to find it is incorrect. Double and triple check the numbers and details you provide. You will not get anywhere if an employer cannot contact you.

If you can get these six areas right you will have a higher chance of getting an employer to notice you. And once you get an employer to notice you, you then have a much better chance of landing that dream job.

Good luck in your search for employment. It can be a harrowing road to travel but if you keep things simple and follow the basic rules, you will find it a pleasant experience.

By Chad Smith, Senior Recruitment Officer 1300apprentice.

How do we measure this commitment?  There are several ways.  Firstly we look for candidates who know what area of work they want to get into.  Too often we see candidates applying for many different trades and this sends a message to the employer that the candidate does not really know what they want to do.  There is no problem in having a back up trade, but try to make that back up similar to your number one choice.

Too many times candidates make the mistake of assuming that an employer will teach them all they need to know about their chosen trade and they can just step into the job without knowing anything.  After all, they are only a first year apprentice so what would they be expected to know.  Well, the answer is plenty!

The knowledge you have of your chosen trade is another measure of your commitment to the role.  If you are vague or unsure about the work you are going to do, then you may not be prepared for that type of work and decide it is not for you after 3 months.  Employers do not have the time or money to keep hiring and re-hiring over and over again to get the right person.  They have to get the right person from the start.

As a candidate for a first year apprenticeship, you will be expected to give detailed information on what tasks and duties you would do as a fully qualified person in that trade and also what tasks and duties you would do as a first year apprentice.  There is no way around this.  Whether you come through 1300apprentice or another organisation, this information will be required and there are many ways you can research this.  You can look at the TAFE website and study the modules you will be taught as part of your TAFE course.  If you know someone in the trade, you can sit down with them and discuss what they do and what they would ask an apprentice to do.  Use the internet, this is a great resource that has plenty of information about all the trades that are available.

Once you have chosen your trade and researched it, the next step is the application process.  Most companies will advertise their jobs online and some do it in newspaper print.  Whichever way they advertise, your approach should always be the same.  Ensure you have a resume; ensure it is up to date with the correct information and the dates of your previous employment.  Exact dates are not required but certainly the month and year you started and completed a job should be included.  If you have not worked before in any capacity, use volunteer work or any other unpaid work you have done.

Most companies also do require a cover letter.  A cover letter should summarise why you are applying for the job, why you are the best person for the job and what experience you have.  It should not go on for several pages – an employer will usually lose interest if it goes on for too long.  Remember, a resume is the tool you are using to get yourself in front of an employer so you need to make it as attractive as possible to be noticed.  Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors will also make a resume unappealing; ensure you have someone proof read your resume before sending it to an employer.

The interview itself is one of the most nerve-racking experiences you can go through.  Some people would prefer to jump out of an aeroplane or talk in front of hundreds of people than go through an interview.  First impressions are important; usually you will only have 15 to 20 minutes to impress an employer.  Make sure you are well prepared with thorough research on the job you are applying for.

Also ensure you are well dressed and well groomed for the interview.  Even if the role is one where you will wear casual clothes or get your hands dirty, you need to dress well to show how serious you are.  Turning up to an interview in t-shirts, shorts, torn and ripped jeans, joggers, baseball caps, multiple piercings and tattoos will greatly diminish your chances of getting the job.

When you are answering questions speak clearly and concisely, do not ramble on and speak on irrelevant topics.  Look the interviewer in the eye and maintain good body posture by sitting straight in your chair and not fidget or lean on the desk.  Be confident and friendly and ensure you always have relevant questions to ask at the end of the interview.

And there we have it.  The secrets to successfully landing that dream job.  Simple isn’t it?  If you follow these steps, I guarantee that you will have more success than failure.

By Chad Smith, Senior Recruitment Officer 1300apprentice.

This year 1300apprentice are proud to announce that we have nominated Namatjira Skuthorpe for the 2012 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the year, Martin De La Mare for the Apprentice of the year and Samantha Egan for Trainee of the year. We wish all of our nominees the best of luck.

Come along to one of the free ‘Get That Job’ career expos that are being held at the end of the month, it will certainly help you kick start your career. At the expo you will get a chance to meet experienced people from several group training organisations who will be able to assist you with choosing your career path or provide you with more information about a career you may have already chosen. Our 1300apprentice representative, Chad Smith will also be able to give you tips on how to prepare for an interview and answer any questions you may have on how to land that job.

Details of the dates and locations of these expos are below and if you require further information please contact Chad on 9715 7344 or c.smith@1300apprentice.com.au.

26 March 2012
The Richmond Club, Richmond

27 March 2012
Wests Leagues, Campbelltown

29 March 2012
Liverpool Catholic Club, Liverpool

30 March 2012
Penrith RSL, Penrith

30 March 2012
Cabravale Diggers, Fairfield

4 April 2012
Blacktown RSL, Blacktown

ZH Alert No: WTE 46  Date of Issue: 25/01/2012

WHAT HAPPENED:

Our employee was cutting 8 meter length of purlins down to a required size. He was attempting to drag 4 x 8 meter lengths of purlin down from the racking to the rollers in order to feed into the Hacksaw Machine, he was attempting to work more productively by moving more than one perlin at a time. The uncontrolled end of the purlin dropped off the racking and the end our employee was holding became too heavy to control. As our employee tried to let go the purlin dropped onto his index finger causing a crush injury requiring medical treatment.

Why Did It Happen:

The load the apprentice was lifting was too great and it was also at an awkward length. Our employee needs to follow standard manual handling techniques and ask for help when performing this type of lift.

Contributing Factors:

• The employee performing a two person lift on his own in order to work more productively.
• The racking system being inadequate to stop the purlin from dropping to the ground.

Corrective Actions Required:

• All employees be made aware of correct manual handling techniques
• Host employer will need to address the racking system to ensure the steel being slid from the racking to the rollers can not slip to the floor. Welding additional vertical brackets on the ends of the existing bracket can alleviate the risk.

Key Learning’s:

This event highlights that safety and productivity work hand in hand. Our employee was trying to get the job done quicker by moving a load that was too great, causing an injury which resulted in a greater loss of productivity for our host employer.

Remember to STOP THINK ACT REVIEW prior to the commencement of any activity.

For further information email: Darren Gibson – OHS Manager 1300apprentice

This is an interesting and hands on trade in the Electrotechnology field that will see you learn the in’s and out’s of selecting, installing, setting up, fault finding, repairing and maintaining systems and devices used for measurement and recording of physical/chemical data as well as the associated process control.

Our host is a global business that offers great career progression opportunities and is firmly entrenched in the growing energy efficiency field. This apprenticeship is completed over four years and will require you to complete a Certificate III Instrumentation and Controls at TAFE. This trade falls under the Electrotechnology training package but doesn’t qualify you to become an Electrician.

To see what some of the work that an instrumentation and controls apprentice does on a daily basis, click here to watch this video from SkillsOne.

If this trade appeals to you, click here to apply for this apprenticeship.