Hey peeps,

Im 29 years old and thinking of training as a electrician. Im from the UK (moved over due to the gf) and have been working in Formula One for the last 4 years but here in Melbourne there is no f1 teams or suppliers so i need to retrain plus I actually don't want to go back into motorsport and travel all the time.

I've been looking on SEEK etc for mature apprenticeships but nothing has come up really, not sure I'm even going about it the right way.

I don't know many people over here so can't ask local electricians etc

Has anyone on here got any experience with retraining on the wrong side of 20?

Any pointers in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

^^^ I used to cringe at the thought of 'pre-apprenticeship' schemes, mainly for kids that had no idea what they wanted and were pushed toward doing 6 months schooling for a trade they never wanted. At 29 though, you have enough life experience to select a career path - so would have to agree with getting some schooling in the trade whilst job-searching.

So its definitely worth doing the pre apprenticeship courses?

Kinda thought they might be teaching me to suck eggs. I done some electronics while doing a btec in aeronautical engineering but more like circuit board and resistors.

Cheers for the link i will look into it

heaps of mature age gigs seem to happen in WA mate - but not sure that helps you much.

here you typically try to find an employer who sees your other experience as an asset, sees you want to work, and expects you will provide 3 times the skill and output, twice as fast as a young apprentice who isn't sure he or she wants to be in that trade (not trying to tar everyone with same brush, but that is my experience with them).
usually the tafe training is then paid for by employer intermittently throughout your apprenticeship period, you usually get a higher than usual rate of pay as well.
can't argue with doing a bit of a pre-apprenticeship though if you are in a holding pattern and not having much luck. i would go and speak to a lecturer first though, explain your situation and gauge if you are going to be wasting yours and their time if your skill sets already there. you never know, a bit of networking opens doors - voluntary work if you are proactive too.

good luck with it
maz

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DanWilson said..
So its definitely worth doing the pre apprenticeship courses?

Kinda thought they might be teaching me to suck eggs. I done some electronics while doing a btec in aeronautical engineering but more like circuit board and resistors.

Cheers for the link i will look into it

See if you can get some sort of credit for your past study. A guy I used to work with used his Uni qualifications to get some credits against his TAFE studies and used his TAFE studies to get some credit against his Uni course ;-)

I think your advantage would be that you are more mature and should be more able to work independently. Hopefully with the start of a pre-apprenticeship course, you can get a head start with someone.

HEy mate I just finished an apprentiship last year as a sparky at age 37
GO for it ,to go back to school ,to learn again ,knock around with young blokes makes ya feel young again and its good fun
Once ya finish ya time its a bit hard as your expected to know as your a bit older ,yet its only time that gives experience
well worth the journey
I would say to contact group training oranisation find out what they need to get a start
do what you have to ,to get a start
once you get the start ,you can bounce around as the time ticks over
do it
good luck

you worked on a formula 1 team and now u want to crawl around in roof spaces putting fans and lights in for tight arse middle age people who don't have a clue on how much it costs to run a business?

Mate, go for it as you'll be a tradesmen at age 33 with 30+ years ahead of you.
Those sparkys can farkin charge as well. The best paid in the building game.
If you can put up with 3 years at TAFE with 17 year old smart ar5es who think they know everything.
I wouldn't recommend if you are colour blind though as that could go pear shaped real quick.

Mate did this with electricity supplier. He's happy. Plus e.ployment after. Check out their website. No couldn't recommend prevo. I did it a couple of years after school and it drove me nuts then

Mate did this with electricity supplier. He's happy. Plus e.ployment after. Check out their website. No couldn't recommend prevo. I did it a couple of years after school and it drove me nuts then

Mate did this with electricity supplier. He's happy. Plus e.ployment after. Check out their website. No couldn't recommend prevo. I did it a couple of years after school and it drove me nuts then

You'll get into it at that age no worries, I'm in my early 30's and put a mature age apprentice on who was older than me. Put him through his carpentry apprenticeship and he was the best worker. Get out there with your resume, start a course and start hassling electrical companies until someone gives you a go. I'm tipping you won't get to more than half dozen before you've got some kind of gig.

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll get the ball moving and start hassling companies.
I know in the grand scheme of things 29 isn't old but I feel old to be going back to school!

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DanWilson said...
Hey peeps,

Im 29 years old and thinking of training as a electrician. Im from the UK (moved over due to the gf) and have been working in Formula One for the last 4 years but here in Melbourne there is no f1 teams or suppliers so i need to retrain plus I actually don't want to go back into motorsport and travel all the time.

I've been looking on SEEK etc for mature apprenticeships but nothing has come up really, not sure I'm even going about it the right way.

I don't know many people over here so can't ask local electricians etc

Has anyone on here got any experience with retraining on the wrong side of 20?

Any pointers in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

Back ground in f1 , forget electrics , our local beaurepairs and tyrepower would give you a go , new tyres in 9 seconds, they'd get my buisness

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cauncy said..

DanWilson said...
Hey peeps,

Im 29 years old and thinking of training as a electrician. Im from the UK (moved over due to the gf) and have been working in Formula One for the last 4 years but here in Melbourne there is no f1 teams or suppliers so i need to retrain plus I actually don't want to go back into motorsport and travel all the time.

I've been looking on SEEK etc for mature apprenticeships but nothing has come up really, not sure I'm even going about it the right way.

I don't know many people over here so can't ask local electricians etc

Has anyone on here got any experience with retraining on the wrong side of 20?

Any pointers in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

Back ground in f1 , forget electrics , our local beaurepairs and tyrepower would give you a go , new tyres in 9 seconds, they'd get my buisness

Or perhaps the local servo will offer you a role in getting the cars filled and out of there in record time!



Just messing with you Dan, I think getting a trade is the way to go - if I didn't have 15 years on you (or a young family and a mortgage) I would be doing the same.

Haha 2.5 seconds!
I actually applied for some tyre jobs here but seems they aren't interested in Motorsport experience, I don't think I could stick being a fitter due to the low pay and 6 days a week!

Research power supplier companies my buddy at 30 got a mature age apprenticeship with a power supplier in Queensland ( Ergon ) he was in an intake of 15 guys and 10 were mature age they seem to think these guys will stick the 3/4 years out and then some as valuable employees. I would say you are more of a chance with a big company than a small business as the small business might be run on a tight budget meaning a young 16 year old is allot cheaper to employ than you but the big companies that isn't a factor.

Don't stress about starting again everyone does it. You will be set up and experienced before you are 35 that's still a long bloody career ahead of you.

I'm 29 and just started uni course ontop of my career. Will take me 5 years and I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel at all but even if I'm done with it by 40 that's still 20 years to apply all what I've learnt in a new career.

Pm me anytime I have plenty of experience in this arena

As an employer the pre-app demonstrates that the person is serious and that they actually understand what the job is about. Many employers also like mature age apprentices particularly if they have a family's etc as they are usually more stable.

Shame your not in Brisbane, I've just taken on a apprentice.

I say absolutely go for it. Time goes by fast, if you don't do this in a few years you could very well still be kicking around in a dead end job while at the same time you could be a journeyman electrician. Not sure about Australia but here in the U.S. a building trades apprenticeship program is a union operation and the work will be mostly commercial construction which is good clean work, not crawling around in attics, 7 to 330 with plenty of breaks.
I became a plumbing/HVAC man at 22 after military service, I tried to get into an apprenticeship but they wouldn't have me so I found work and mostly taught myself then after 7 years I became a contractor. When you learn a skill no one can take it from you. If you have no special skill or trade and work your way up into a position you could just be fired and have to start all over again.
Understand that in the building trades there is a timeline, when you are young you will work hard repetitive manual labor and by the time you are about 50 your body will be worn out so you will be transitioning to supervisory type positions. Starting at 29 just avoids 10 years of abuse on the body at 50 you won't be as broken down as your coworkers

Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Hopefully I can get something sorted soon enough and get started!

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DanWilson said..
Hey peeps,

Im 29 years old and thinking of training as a electrician. Im from the UK (moved over due to the gf) and have been working in Formula One for the last 4 years but here in Melbourne there is no f1 teams or suppliers so i need to retrain plus I actually don't want to go back into motorsport and travel all the time.

I've been looking on SEEK etc for mature apprenticeships but nothing has come up really, not sure I'm even going about it the right way.

I don't know many people over here so can't ask local electricians etc

Has anyone on here got any experience with retraining on the wrong side of 20?

Any pointers in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

G'day

I was 42 when I did my electrical apprenticeship, That time I was Queensland oldest apprentice.
I was Instrument Technician before.
Go for it mate.

Cheers

Columbo how did you find going back to school with kids that probably had dads younger than you?

after ten years of university I've got a phd in molecular biology and love my job, but I also have a young family and my grant runs out in four months. science isn't valued by our government and I find myself thinking really hard about doing an apprenticeship as a sparky or carpenter, but I'm currently 37.. how the hell can I feed my kids on an apprentice wage I'ts really getting me down...


mate if you are unattached and can afford to duo an apprenticeship now go for it!! you'll never look back

oh and if anyone reading this is looking to hire and train an old fart like me, send me apm