Welcome to another edition of the 1300apprentice eNewsletter. August represents the calm before the storm as we prepare for the busiest part of the year, the October intake.

For host employers, this is the time of year to submit your apprentice and/or trainee requirements for the 2012/2013 financial year so that our recruitment team can place the best candidates with your business whilst they’re available. For employers to submit their apprentice and trainee requirements for next year, click on the following link and complete the simple form - Employer Enquiry Checklist

For the candidates, most of whom who are about to complete their HSC, this is the time of year to be preparing resumes and connecting with employers so that when your exams are over you are ready to commence your apprenticeship and take the next first step of your career. For job seekers who wish to register their interest in starting an apprenticeship, click on the following link - 1300apprentice Candidate Registration Form

We love this time of the year and look forward to our office being inundated with the best candidates over the coming months.

Last month we announced that the 1300apprentice awards nominations had opened for 2012. All applications have been received and are ready to be handed to our judges.

The quality of nominees for this year's awards is of the highest standard and we have no doubt that the judges will have a hard time making their final decisions.

Good luck to all of the nominated apprentices and trainees!

The winners of this year’s awards will be announced in October's eNewsletter and on the awards page of the 1300apprentice website.

In light of several recent incidents involving forklifts that include three work related fatalities across NSW, our latest safety alert looks at the dangers the use of forklifts pose and some precautionary suggestions on how to reduce this risk.

To view the full safety alert click here.

As a result of the NSW Workers Compensation Scheme being more than $4.1 billion in deficit The NSW Parliament introduced and passed the Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 on 22 June and assented 22 June 2012 making the bill law.

This Bill has changed the scope of workers compensation and the reforms are focussed on encouraging and assisting early return to work, and providing better financial support to seriously injured workers.

The changes that took effect as of 19 June 2012 include changes to journey claims, lump sum payments and nervous shock, heart attack and stroke and disease injuries.

More changes are planned for the coming months. We have provided a link bellow for further information and if you have any questions regarding how these changes may affect your business, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated WH&S Manager Darren Gibson on 0407 663 086 or by emailing d.gibson@1300apprentice.com.au.

Important Link – WorkCover NSW Workers Compensation Issues Paper, Parliamentary Inquiry, Final Bills and Fact sheets

Becoming an Electrician is an excellent career move that offers a wide variety of opportunity to candidates who chose this path. If you’re reading our eNewsletter and blog entries, you are on the right track to starting an interesting and fulfilling career. According to mycareer, the average salary of a qualified Electrician is $89 504*!

So what does this trade entail? An Electrician is able to maintain electrical systems and equipment for domestic, commercial and industrial buildings. This includes installing, testing and connecting dwellings, offices etc. to the electricity grid. Skills that an apprentice Electrician will learn include being able to interoperate wiring diagrams, connection of wires to circuit breakers and fault finding using devices such as voltage meters and insulation resistance testers. Besides the obvious of installing lights and power points, Electricians also install electrical equipment such as water heaters, electrical signs, switchboards, motors and programmable logic controls (PLC) amongst many other tasks.

As this trade is so diverse, by completing your apprenticeship with 1300apprentice, we ensure that you receive the full amount of training in every aspect of this apprenticeship. Many host employers are only able to deliver 50-90% of the required on-the-job training that an apprentice requires to become a fully qualified Electrician. By completing your apprenticeship through 1300apprentice, if necessary we are able to rotate you from one business and place you in another where you will receive the remainder of your required training. This is done through a simple process where both you and your boss need not worry.

If you’re looking to start an electrical apprenticeship, head to our candidate registration form on our website and submit your resume, school results and contact details. Alternatively, you can contact our recruitment team by phoning 1300 277 736 or by sending an email to resumes@1300apprentice.com.au.  Should your application be successful, you will be contacted by our recruitment team for a phone interview and possibly a face to face interview.

To browse our current apprenticeship and traineeship vacancies, click here or to be taken directly to our Electrical apprenticeship expression of interest click here.

*Average wage provided by mycareer.com.au. for further information please visit their page by clicking here.

National Skills week is returning again this year after a successful first year in 2011. National Skills Week aims to raise the status of practical and vocational learning and inform people of the opportunities these career choices present.

Head to the National Skills Week website to learn more about what events are being held in your area or if there is anyway you could get involved as an employer by clicking here.

Congratulations to the following apprentices and trainees that completed during the month of July:

Come and visit us at the following expo:

Landscape Australia Expo
13-14 September 2012
Stand E14
Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park
www.landscapeexpo.com.au