Info needed: Mechanic Apprenticeship

[Vertigo]

hello there,

im thinking of starting a mechanics apprenticeship after coming to a turning point in my life... start completely from scratch.
any info on the pay, working hours/conditions, and anything else i may need would be appreciated!

[Ae92typeX]

Can be hard to get into without going for your trade cert first, but still pleantly of places around whom will let you work and study. Apprentice pay on the whole is not very good, but the idea is you are working towards becoming something. Conditions, although fairly obvious with the line of work also vary from shop to shop - some are messy cold garages, and others tiled and cleaned each weekend. I dont know any who work sundays, but several who work 6 days a week 8-5ish

[Vertigo]

the trade cert sounds appealing... could you provide more info on that?

[MrOizo]

I suggest you give a place like Manukau Institute of Technology, MIT a call and hve a chat to the course leaders. they'll be able to inform you an almost anything you'll need to know. also you'll prob need a entry level cert to be able to get the apprenticeship.

http://www.manukau.ac.nz/study/search/C ... Technology

[MrOizo]

damn - little slow on the posting today i am

[Vertigo]

jesus - those prices are steep!
cheers for the help, ill have a look at it all.
anyone willing to take me on?

[Spannergal]

Vertigo, compared to what I paid at Weltec - around $6000 a year, those are reasonable prices. Most employers aren't likely to consider you without a Pre-apprenticeship Course under your belt.
Either way, if you get an apprenticeship you are still going to be paying MITO about $900 a year to become trade certed. Your local MITO rep might know of people who have openings so give them a call - contact details on www.mito.org.nz

[adikt]

i went thru a similar change of lifestyle about 18months ago.
i went thru wintec, got my trade cert, now im working for .. well, not a lot really, but hey, thats apprenticeships for you.
on the other hand, i know of people who have done the same course, that are working in different fields (heavy/diesel, small engines, whatever) that are on several $$/hr more than me.
It really depends what area you want to work in, who you work for, and age/experience. But i would say anywhere from a bit over minimum wage, up to maybe $15-16/hr to start.
But you definitely want to get trade cert first, as most places wont even consider you if you havent shown you're dedicated to it, as they dont want to waste time training you if you're just gonna walk away in a few months when you get bored of it.
have a look at the MITO website (i think its www.mito.govt.nz but not too sure)

[evil_si]

trade cert is generally what you sit at the end of your apprenticship or 3rd/4th year.


a pre trade course is generally a good introduction and cuts a year off the actual apprenticeship.

some companys will hire you without, i never did a pretrade but had been in the navy as a marine technician first.

im heavy diesel, so its a bit more full on to light automotive { would definalty recommend over light auto any day.} plenty of perks, the travel has been awesome, been and worked in fiji, tahiti, off to adelaide next month

[skoty]

hello there,

im thinking of starting a mechanics apprenticeship after coming to a turning point in my life... start completely from scratch.
any info on the pay, working hours/conditions, and anything else i may need would be appreciated!

Unfortunatly these days apprenticeships are almost impossible to find. The reasons why are because there is a lot of commitment from the employer as it costs them $$$ in order for them to train you plus they have to dedicate training hours etc. i.e there arn't many advantages for the employer.

Believe me I've tryed my ass off and haven't got anywhere and thats with level 4 certificate in automotive engineering. Sorry to sound pesamistic but thats how it generally is

[evil_si]

Unfortunatly these days apprenticeships are almost impossible to find. The reasons why are because there is a lot of commitment from the employer as it costs them $$$ in order for them to train you plus they have to dedicate training hours etc. i.e there arn't many advantages for the employer.

Believe me I've tryed my ass off and haven't got anywhere and thats with level 4 certificate in automotive engineering. Sorry to sound pesamistic but thats how it generally is

i disagree,
most employers want some one they can train up,

there are more benefits than disadvantages for the employer,
apprentices get paid peanuts, but generally get chargerd out at full rate
in our workshop they get paid from $8 and charged out at $66, the more work they do, the more quals they get the more they get paid.


there are so many shortages for mechanics at the moment.

we have had a lot of pretrade students come thru for work experience, most are good for f* all, some are top notch and we usually snap them up.

im my experience, ringing around and sending in your cv in wont get you anything..
the guys that are proactive, go getters and actually go in and introduce themselves are usually hired.

[matt dunn]

Do a pretrade course.

They run one down here, and everyonr whom has passed the course in the last 6 years has got a job guaranteed before the course ends.

[skoty]

the guys that are proactive, go getters and actually go in and introduce themselves are usually hired

...thats exactly what I did with around 25 employers. Got off my ass, went around and introduced myself and my situation. It's not like I'm starting from scratch either.

[YeMs]

Can be hard to get into without going for your trade cert first.

hrmmm i beg to differ. infact it can b harder (in my experience) to find a job if u do the pre trade course (generally supplied by a polytech or similiar). the basics being little boy goes and pays 6g to do a pre trade course. boy gets certificate. boy THINKS he can go into a workshop and start on a decent wage and jump straight in the deep end. in an actual fact, wen a workshop gets a boy, he gets handed the broom and u start from there. sure theres always room to move, but u gotta no were to start and thats what alot of young people have trouble with.

waste of $6000 if u ask me. infact waste of a year to only finish level 1 and 2. iv been doing my apprenticeship for 18months and iv got about 4 books to go and a couple of tests and im done. $1600. (thats not subsidised by my boss, i pay for myself) and on top of that iv been geting a weekly wage (its better than the $150 a week u get on student allowance) no debt and nearly finished.
lol, and wats worse is i had to do a weeks off job training at the polytech and we were quite frequintly in the same shop as all the pre-trade boys and man talk about muppets and bullshit. all they wanted to do was put a rotary in it or chit chat about the last race they had down maru street.

apprenticeships WERE becoming rather rare but MITO (website previously mentioned) are encouraging more workplaces to take them on. i quite easily found mine, and sure there were some hard yards early on but like i said, u gota start somewere.

as mentioned. pro-active. get around to all the workshops and put your name down, tell them your situation, show your interest. try get hold of your local MITO rep. he will have an idea of any workshops in the market.

[Ae92typeX]

Can be hard to get into without going for your trade cert first.

hrmmm i beg to differ...

not that it really matters, but I did continue on in that sentence to say:

, but still pleantly of places around whom will let you work and study.

as you go on to discuss

It is going to depend on the location and then on the shops themselves. There are lots of mechanics shouting out for qualified mechanics at the moment. This of corse means, you have done all the required experience hours etc, so as sugested, it is better to try and get in the dirty from step one, but, jobs can still be had both ways.

[Elmo]

I didnt read the last few posts, but Tradecert doesnt exist anymore. Its all in the bookwork/theory side of things, when finished ya 300 credits (mine was 300) thats it, no exams, nothing.

Do pretrade. FREE at SIT, and also CPIT, i dont know about further north though.

Then you get a job as an apprentice. They are much easier to get than before. We have 4 apprentices on the go at any one time.

Work through ya books and practical side of things. Before you know it. Ya done.

I was qualified in less than 3 years, and thats from the start of pretrade.

One guy sat his WHOLE thing on the job, didnt do a pre trade course. He did EVERYTHING in less than a year.

Im in heavy deisel. I say its the only way to go as well. Bugger cars, they are to tightly packed in. You dont fix much now like we do in trucks, you just replace.

Sure, trucks are dirtier, but you'll have a shower at the end of each day anyway right??

Things are heavier, so ask someone to help, use a crane or forklift!!

Pay is better as well.

We have apprentices who are about 3/4 there way through, and they are on 17+ an hour. and they are only 18/19 also.

[Crucible]

One guy sat his WHOLE thing on the job, didnt do a pre trade course. He did EVERYTHING in less than a year.

So hes a fully qualifed mechanic in a year?!WOW!!, In my opinion thats not enough hands on experiance. The first year of my apprenticeship was doing lubes and punctures. I done 1 year pre trade, then it took me a further 6 years to do my apprenticeship. Not until I passed units for National Cert could you set Tradecert exams, Then you could register with NZQA as a qualifed tradesman if you passed, but to do in 1 year???...Hmmm thats too easy

[Elmo]

It is too easy, thats the problem. The new system sucks!!

All the new system is, is about 50 books (including pretrade) some practical stuff (either done as hands on work experience while working, or at a block course) and many tests.

No exams afterwards.

Dont get me wrong, its not an easy time, espcially to do it in a year. Some of our guys have taken over 4 years, but thats just coz they arent putting the effort in.

[Crucible]

Yeah, In saying that though I have worked with a few non Qualified guys that are really good tradesman. The Guy I contract to owns 5 workshops and isnt even qualified, Hes basically retired and is only in his mid 30's

[soopachargen]

Im doing the SIT pretrade through regent training, its a get off the dole thing so i'm waiting till iv been legally unemployed long enough to get into it but its mean.

There is a regent training in auckland somewhere too. Have a look in the phonebook.... also if your under 18 you can get on free...