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Australian Apprenticeship wages vary a lot depending on various factors such as:

• The years of school that an apprentice has completed
• Years of training e.g. an Australian apprentice in the second year of an apprenticeship that is meant to last 4 years could get 70% of a trade person’s adult wage.
• The type of Australian apprenticeship that one is undertaking. This depends on whether it is a full-time, part time or school based apprenticeship.
• The industry that one is involved in – different industries have different apprentice wages e.g. the amount an apprentice that works as a chef earns may be different from that of another that works as an electrical apprentice or engineering apprentice.
• Previous skills that an Australian Apprentice has already acquired – an apprentice that has skills in a given field may earn more than another in the same area that does not have the specific skills.

Australian Apprentices are usually paid training wages according to the State industry award wage. However, employers may pay apprentice wages above the stipulated minimum wage in order to attract the best apprentices when recruiting.

As an apprentice you have to ensure that you remain on top of things as some employers will pay high apprentice wages to hardworking apprentices to encourage them to stay on after completing their training period.

As you become more skilled and achieve the competencies that are detailed in your training plan, your Australian Apprenticeship wages will also increase and this goes to show why you should take your apprenticeship very seriously.

Modern awards generally contain information on the terms and conditions of employment, apprentice wages as well as allowances that one is eligible to get. As an Australian Apprentice you should ensure that you have knowledge about such awards as they may benefit you in many ways.

Although the government sets out standards and regulations that guide the employment of apprentices, you should put in a lot of hard work towards your apprenticeship. There are many employers who will go out of their way to pay high apprentice wages if they are keen to retain the services of a given apprentice.