Finishing school
When you have successfully completed your school studies, you have a number of pathways you can take on the way to a rewarding career.
Prevocational training
Apprenticeships and traineeships
Job and career planning
Further study
Work experience
Prevocational training
You can get a head start into a job or further training with a prevocational course. Prevocational means 'before work'. Prevocational courses provide training to prepare you to work in a particular job or as an introduction into an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Completing a relevant prevocational course not only allows you to see what working in a particular job is like, it may also reduce the term of an apprenticeship or traineeship if you decide to continue your training. To discover the prevocational/pre-apprenticeship courses available search Queensland training information.
Apprenticeships and traineeships
Apprenticeships and traineeships combine training with working in a real job, for a real boss with a real wage.
With over 600 to choose from, there is an apprenticeship and traineeship in almost any area you can think of.
Why you should choose an apprenticeship or traineeship:
- get real work experience
- get paid while you learn
- learn the latest knowledge and skills
- get a qualification that's recognised across Australia
- can help you go on to further study or even start your own business
- great job prospects
- a great start to your career.
Find out how to get started in an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Job and career planning
There are lots of different jobs out there. Often the biggest challenge is working out what job you want to do. You need to think about what you want from a job and what your skills and abilities are.
Find out more about job and career planning.
Further study
There are lots of different ways to get the knowledge and skills you need. The education and training system in Queensland is set up so you can start learning at school and then keep on studying until you reach the level you need.
Fifteen qualifications are available to students. Different education sectors issue varying qualifications, with some being issued by two sectors. Find out more about the fifteen qualifications and their learning outcomes.
Study at TAFE
TAFE Queensland allows you to choose from around 800 different vocational education and training programs covering everything from arts and entertainment to science and technology. There are 85 TAFE campuses as well as online and distance education options, so wherever you live, chances are you can study through TAFE.
For information on about TAFE courses and other training options, visit our Courses.
Study at university
If you decide to go on to university after school, you will probably apply through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
More than 1200 courses are available through QTAC's participating institutions. These include all the Queensland universities, the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania, and some universities in northern New South Wales. It also includes TAFE institutes and some training organisations.
Courses available through QTAC range from certificate courses that may take less than a year to finish, to degree courses that may take three, four or five years.
For information on how to apply for tertiary courses, visit www.qtac.edu.au.
Work experience
Statistics show that the most common difficulty faced by young people who can't find employment is lack of work experience.
If you are having difficulty finding an employer who will take you on, you may consider unpaid work experience as one way to get some skills and show prospective employers how committed you are to getting the job you want.
For insurance reasons, some organisations may only provide you with unpaid work experience if you are a student with an educational institution (such as a high school, TAFE, employment agency or university). Some organisations may request evidence that you are insured for accident and injury, as well as having public liability or professional indemnity cover.
You can also get work experience through unpaid volunteer work such as with a charity group or community organisation. This type of work can be personally rewarding and may provide you with some useful skills for paid future work
If you are looking for volunteer work, you should make sure the organisation carries volunteer insurance. For more information about volunteer positions visit www.volunteer.com.au.
Contact Apprenticeships info 1800 210 210 or Training Queensland 1300 369 935
Other languages