School Based New Apprenticeships are a terrific way to learn skills in a trade you might never expect to work in. Daniel (17) wanted to be a chef. He had begun studying all he could about food science at school but decided to take a look at the IT industry for work experience. Daniel said “…I decided to check it out and I loved it so here I am now.”

Where he is now, is working for Ararat Computer Systems studying a certificate III in IT (Information technology). Daniel manages his time well, attending school five days a week, he heads straight to work after school. He is also there during his free study periods then spends his Saturday mornings in the computer shop to meet the time requirements of his apprenticeship without missing valuable study time.

When he finishes school Daniel would like to work full time with computers and would also like to stay close to home in Ararat.

Daniel has learned a great deal about computers during his apprenticeship so far. He feels he knows his way around the hardware inside a computer and was eager to part with his well learned knowledge, enthusiastically listing all the various working parts inside the casings. He is learning plenty about loading software onto a computer too, how it works and how to ‘troubleshoot’; fixing those glitches and problems experienced by PC users.

Daniel joked that the worst part of his apprenticeship is “the paperwork” however the best thing about a School Based New Apprenticeship according to Daniel is “getting out there into the workforce and learning the job”. A sentiment echoed by other apprentices in the scheme.