An electrical apprenticeship is completed over four years.

For the first three years, it is a combination of on-the-job (on site) training and off-the-job learning.

For the fourth and final year, you work full-time, on-site, to refine your skills.

To become a licensed electrician in Tasmania, you must complete a 4-year apprenticeship, pass the UEE30820 Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician (learning completed through TasTAFE), and pass three licensing exams (often referred to as the Capstone assessment).

After completing these, you can apply for an electrical practitioner licence.

Beyond the apprenticeship, there are electrical specialisations you can study, such as renewables courses and business & management.

The first thing an electrical apprentice needs is a job. Employment can be with us at NECA E&C or directly with an electrical business.

When you start an apprenticeship, you will sign an apprenticeship contract which includes your training plan (education).

This contract must be lodged with an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider (ACAP).

Read more about becoming an electrical apprentice.

One of the most common questions asked is: Who pays for apprenticeship training?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but government funding is available to certain students wishing to complete an apprenticeship at the Certificate III level. To access this funding, you must be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, or an Australian Permanent Resident, and meet the relevant age and employment requirements.

There are fees associated with your studies, for which you will be invoiced and for which you are entitled to have reimbursed by your employer as part of the Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding, provided you are up-to-date with your profiling and studies.

If you become a NECA workforce apprentice (employed directly by NECA E&C, and placed with host employers/electrical contractors), you are provided with a toolkit at the start of your employment, which you pay off at a reduced rate over the first year of your apprenticeship. You’re also provided with uniform, boots and PPE that we replace if they wear out.

Fees for apprentices

The average cost of apprenticeship tuition includes training hours, general resources and amenities fees. Some Technical and Further Education (TAFE) providers may specify it as an additional cost. It’s also important to remember that prices can vary based on everything from regulatory changes to the overall duration of a course.

These costs are in addition to government funding, which makes up the remainder of the total tuition fees. In addition to tuition fees which cover hands-on training, classroom instruction and more, apprentices may also need to pay various other fees, which can include:

• Theory or practical assessment resits
• Tutoring fees (per hour)
• PPE, including cut-resistant gloves and safety glasses
• Copies of necessary information, e.g., AS/NZS 3000:2007 Wiring Rules, course textbooks, etc.

For direct assistance or advice, please contact Student Services.

Whether you’re already a licensed electrician looking to specialise, or you’re working towards your electrical practitioners licence, we offer a range of courses to choose from. Training is for individuals and teams (please get in touch if you’d like to know more about the training we offer for teams) and can help move your career or business forward.  We deliver training in the following areas:

• Renewables
• Business and Management
• Safe work practices

Becoming a NECA Apprentice Host employer is simple – just get in contact with us and have a chat about what it means. We believe conversation (not forms) works best as we’re talking about people and their careers – not just short-term labour-hire recruits.

If you host a NECA workforce apprentice, we handle the apprentice management with you.

We want you to be able to focus on what you do best – running your business.

Outsourcing apprentice management benefits you by saving you administration time. We recruit, onboard, mentor, and support the apprentices – ensuring they are doing what’s expected of them in their workplace. Apprentices still require ongoing on-site supervision, but we take the load of the HR needs.

By having more time to focus on your core business, we believe you will be able to get your projects completed with both speed and quality, and in the electrical sector there are never enough minutes in the day.