The path to becoming a qualified electrical practitioner
Thinking about becoming an electrical practitioner? Here’s what you need to know:
- All Australian electrical practitioners must be qualified and licensed
- Start with either a pre-apprenticeship course or go directly into an apprenticeship
- Electrical apprenticeships take four years, combining practical ‘on-the-tools’ work and trade school ‘off-the-tools’ work
- You must be employed to enrol in an apprenticeship, and NECA can employ you directly and place you with a host company
Why choose NECA Education & Careers
As a GTO owned and operated by the electrical industry, we provide:
- Employment opportunities for apprentices
- Expert guidance from industry professionals
- Strong industry connections that support career progression
- Ongoing support throughout your training and beyond
Once you’ve earned your Electrical Practitioners licence, we offer additional courses to help you stay current and advance throughout your electrical career.
Let us help you build the skills needed to become the best electrician you can be.
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a work-study agreement that pays you while you learn electrical skills. You’ll get on-the-job training at work sites plus off-the-job training through the Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician – preparing you for a successful career as an electrician.
Structure
Split between on- and off-the-job training for three first years, followed by full-time on-the-job in year four.
Progress tracking – profiling
Profiling is your record of completed on-site tasks that connects your off-the-job learning with on-the-job practical work.
You must keep your profiling documentation updated throughout your apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship employment at NECA
NECA is the largest employer of electrical apprentices in Tasmania (& Victoria), offering work placements through our host employers.
At NECA Education & Careers, we connect you with opportunities to grow as an electrical apprentice, offering full support to ensure your success.
TasTAFE, equips you with top-tier training materials, dedicated support staff and intimate industry knowledge – giving you the best foundation for becoming a future electrician.
As a NECA Apprentice, you’ll receive:
- support from an industry careers consultant
- safety training, including a thorough induction
- ongoing work health and safety support
Contact us when you are ready to take the next step.
Apprenticeships at
NECA Education & Careers
NECA Education & Careers offers electrical apprenticeship employment across the whole of Tasmania. We can support you whilst you do your off-the-job training through TasTAFE.
Attributes of an electrical practitioner
Ideally, to be an electrical practitioner you will have:
- Good hand-eye coordination
- Skill and accuracy with hands-on tasks
- The ability to problem-solve
- Good attention to detail
- Strong communication skills
- The ability to work both in a team and independently
- Basic knowledge of safety and regulations
- A willingness to learn
- An interest in maths and technical work
Why become an electrical practitioner?
Lifelong career growth opportunities
Electricians will always
be in demand
A challenging
career
Regularly changing 'office'
Be your own boss
Opportunities around
the world
Earn while you
learn
Diverse challenges
What does a day in the life of
an electrical apprentice look like?
Typical work day
Varied working conditions
Supervision and support
Health and safety
NECA's commitment to safety
Supervisors' role
Next steps after completing the apprenticeship
Becoming a licensed electrical practitioner
Once you’ve completed your apprenticeship (including on-the-tools, off-the-tools learning and your profiling) you can apply for your Electrical Practitioners licence.
Ongoing learning and career growth
Even after completing your apprenticeship, your learning continues. As a licensed electrical practitioner, you’ll have opportunities to grow in your role and explore various career paths, like running your own business or specialising in areas such as renewable energy.
NECA offers lifelong learning opportunities to help you.
Explore more
Electrical apprenticeships
Gain hands-on experience and industry-recognised qualifications through Tasmania’s nominal 4-year electrical apprenticeship program
Host employers
As a leading group training organisation (GTO) in Tasmania (and Victoria), we can assist host employers in every step of the process, as we have done for other businesses for over 30 years.
Industry courses
Continue your skills and career development with industry courses created for electricians.
Read our
success stories
I had thought that I wanted to go to university, and I'd been set on that my entire life. And then I got there and realised it wasn't for me. My Dad said to me, 'Do an electrical apprenticeship' - that's what he would do.
I wasn't 100 per cent sure what to expect, I was doubting whether I would be capable of carrying out the work due to stereotypes around being a woman. Eventually, from the feedback that I was receiving from my host, from NECA E&C, and from TAFE, my entire attitude towards, not the work, but my own ability to do the work changed.
Pursue what you think would make you happy.
The bit that I enjoy is when you find that niggling little problem that's been hanging around and then you finally fix it. It's such a good feeling to know that you've made something work, and for me in an industrial setting, that happens a lot.
When I was at school, it wasn't presented as an option to be an electrician, so I spent 14 years as a retail manager, had two children, and then when I decided to go back to work, I thought, 'I'm getting too old, now is the time to do something different'. So that's why I did it.
To just turn up, 7am to 3:30pm every day and then tools down, go home – that is my dream job, because it gives you the flexibility to just go home and spend time with your children.
It's a diverse range of different machinery that we get to work on, whether it's tipper trucks, EWP towers, or woodchippers. We maintain a fleet of trucks, and they've got to be serviced and certified every three months. So that requires a lot of testing, a lot of repair work, it's different every day. I enjoy coming to work every day. I heard about the job when my mate Caleb, who is our other mechanic here, said, 'we've got another diesel mechanic apprenticeship going, would you be interested?' And I had a passion for it when I was younger, but I lost it for a few years, but then I wanted to change and get into something that I enjoy doing.
For anyone who's on the fence about being a diesel mechanic, I reckon doing the vocational preparation to start with is a must. I did it in college and it just gave me a lot of enlightenment on what the career could be, whether that's going into light vehicle or heavy diesel.
Our sponsors, partners and memberships
