Many people have heard the old stereotype that plumbers charge through the teeth, and it often extends to other trades as well. These joking generalisations about tradies do reveal a few things however; that the skills of a trade are always in demand and that a tradie can run their own business once they have the required know-how and qualifications.
Vocational training at TAFE provides such qualifications once a course and corresponding apprenticeship have been completed.
Pete Krout is an apprentice carpenter – or “chippie” – with plans of starting his own business once he is fully qualified following his apprenticeship with Rivergum Building Services. Dave Drayton asked Pete a few questions about his carpentry apprenticeship.
Dave: Australian apprenticeships seem hard to come by in carpentry, how did you organise yours?
Pete: Work in carpentry apprenticeships is easier to find if you know someone. I found my apprenticeship through a friend who was in his third year as an apprentice at the time. I called his boss who agreed to give me a couple of months labouring as a trial and have been with him since.
Dave: What advice would you give to other people looking to get an apprenticeship in carpentry?
Pete: It will help you to know what you want to do, give you a chance to learn a good work ethic, and let you meet plenty of tradies who may give you a foot in with someone else. Employers are looking for an apprentice they don’t mind spending 30 or 40 hours a week with, who is keen to work, not afraid to jump in and get dirty and not going to be unreliable.
Dave: What are the apprentice wages like as a carpenter?
Pete: I think that if you get an apprenticeship right after leaving school, the wages are manageable, but if you are starting a bit later in life the pay cut can be tough, even with the mature age bonus. By third and fourth year wages are roughly comparable to a basic retail wage.
Dave: How does doing a carpentry apprenticeship compliment what you are studying at TAFE?
Pete: I am doing a cert 3 in carpentry at TAFE, and a cert 4 in building. I have found that the apprenticeship helped in my understanding of the jargon and techniques that are assumed knowledge in the cert. 4 course, making study easier. Carpentry TAFE focused on older style techniques which I found largely beneficial, as it added a breadth to my experience that would not be economical for my boss to teach me.
Dave: Once completing your apprenticeship, what sort of carpentry jobs will you be qualified for?
Pete: I think as a qualified carpenter, I will be technically able to take any carpentry job, although practically speaking, I will be more qualified in residential building, which is where all my experience lies.