A pilot program offering higher level apprenticeships was so successful that a second round of training is starting next month.
Manufacturers are being urged to register their interest for the Higher Level Apprenticeship Program, which uses a VET pathway to prepare graduates for the emerging skills needed for Industry 4.0 — the workforce of today and tomorrow.
The Engineering Technician - Industry 4.0 traineeship merges traditional and emerging technologies in manufacturing and engineering industries to build digital skills needed for the automation and digitisation of machinery.
The program, a partnership between the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT), Ai Group and TAFE Queensland, offers a work and training experience that combines specialised skills and knowledge with the traditional apprenticeship model.
Industry 4.0 Higher Apprenticeship Project Officer Lisa Gilbert, an Ai Group Queensland Industry Skills Adviser - Manufacturing, said the program was a fantastic opportunity for industry and urged employers to register quickly as places on the program were limited.
“It’s a great opportunity for employers to get their manufacturing businesses into Industry 4.0,” Ms Gilbert said.
“Usually, apprenticeships are Cert III or IV, but this is a diploma. It means industry is getting those higher level skills that they wouldn’t get with an entry-level apprenticeship.”
Apprentices gain work and training experience for tasks ranging from product design to manufacturing and production.
The program will once again be delivered in Brisbane and North Queensland by TAFE Queensland in partnership with Skills Lab.
A graduation ceremony was held last week to celebrate the success of the inaugural Brisbane cohort.
Program participants will be employed as an Industry 4.0 higher level apprentice aligned to the 22460VIC Diploma of Applied Technologies course.
A subsidy is available per apprentice under the User Choice program, which represents the level of government contribution towards the cost of training.
Companies/businesses may nominate more than one candidate.
For more information and to register your interest, please contact Lisa Gilbert or click here.
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
