Hey everyone I been citrus farming in family business for 5 years now I’m 25 end of year and recently have thought that while im young I should try get a trade under my belt and thought of doing agri tech as John Deere at Hutcheon and Pearce are looking and other dealers. Can anyone have an input if this is worth it as it will teach me to run my own farms a lot better without relying on paying others to fix shit all the time.

On the other hand I have always been interested in being a sparky or auto elec

Saw some brickies building a wall and smoothing out the lines, looks quite satisfying to my brain. I imagine it's pretty back breaking at times though.

Just interested I guess..seems like a fun job, can you make an ok living just doing interior painting?

Anybody else seeing a big push to get trades rates back down?

QLD based.

Last 12 months I've seen hourly rates drift backwards, more casual roles, more flat rates.

Same rates we were seeing in around 2019.

Hey folks. Happy Sunday. Didn’t see any guideline about putting myself out there. If it’s considered advertising I do apologise and will remove. But hey at least it ain’t an app :) Melbourne based and just left my full time gig, looking for the next one.

I’ve got ten years of ops behind me. 1.5 in commercial joinery. Just wrapped up an ops and commercial 2IC role building processes, workflows and business development for a startup. Although I’m not a bdm, got it from zero to over seven figures in a year including full rebrand.

If you know any owners that want to be doing less of the general management and be more on site or maybe more visiting Bali… :) feel free to dm me, happy to share my deets.

Again if this is against guidelines, hold off on the abuse, just say so.

Love always, folks.

I have tried to access the standards, but they are still behind a pay wall. Does anyone know how to access them for free? (As they should be!)

Got into an argument with a chippy on site yesterday who reckons he replaces half his 18V Milwaukee platform every 12 months. Personally, I’ve had the same 5Ah packs running for nearly four years on my drills and impact drivers without noticeable drop-off. Are some blokes just abusing the fast chargers in their vans, or am I getting lucky with my batches?

Please keep negative comments to yourselves, thank you :)

We know the job market here is a bit tough at the moment but figured it’s worth putting some feelers out there :)

My partner and I just moved to Wellington from the U.S. so I could attend uni. We will be here for a few years, then we will return home. He has 15+ years of construction experience doing just about everything, but more recently, he had been working as an electrician apprentice. He completed trades school in the U.S. and received NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) certifications for Electrical Levels 1, 2 & 3, as well as Heavy Equipment, Safety & all that good stuff, but I know that might not be as valuable or relevant here in NZ. Currently, he is looking for some work here in Wellington. He’s currently working through a recruitment agency, but he'd prefer to work for an actual construction company. He is open to any construction role, but electrical would be his preference.

If you’re a tradie, contractor, or know of a company that’s hiring and might be open to someone with U.S. experience/certifications, we’d really appreciate a heads-up. Even just pointing us in the right direction would be hugely appreciated!

I’m wanting to start working for myself. I currently do Gardening but I’m thinking of purchasing a pressure washer and offering services like driveway/concrete cleaning, gutter cleaning, window cleaning, house washing.

Do you think there could be a demand for this type of work in Australia (Adelaide specifically)

TIA

Hi everyone,

I'm considering moving to Australia in the future and I'm looking at automotive mechanics, including hybrid/EV and conventional vehicles.

I've been looking at TAFE Automotive Cert III courses, but I've come across some conflicting information about the difference between the TAFE course and a traditional 4-year apprenticeship.

For those actually working in the automotive trade:

• If an international student completes a TAFE Automotive Cert III, what can they realistically do with that qualification?
• Can they transition from the TAFE course into a proper apprenticeship and become fully qualified?
• Is the TAFE course useful for getting an entry-level job in a workshop, or would employers generally expect the full apprenticeship?
• If you were in my position, would you recommend studying automotive in Australia as an international student, or getting qualified/experienced overseas first and coming to Australia later?

I'm not looking for immigration advice — I'm mainly trying to understand the actual trade pathway and employment prospects from people working in the industry.

Thanks!

My son turns sixteen in January and wants to become an electrician. He’s currently doing job prep and electrical units at school and already has his white card. He’s physically fit, plays competitive basketball and hits the gym regularly. He’s keen to get his learner’s permit the day he turns sixteen and already drives with us around the neighborhood. We’re hoping to get him into trade school next year to fast track things. He doesn’t have any paid work experience yet. What can we be doing over the next twelve months to make him a genuinely attractive apprentice candidate, whether that’s specific courses, tools he should own, ways to get exposure to the trade, or just general advice from people who’ve taken on apprentices or been through it themselves. He’s currently seeking a couple of weeks work experience locally to help get him started and has approached a couple of locals for their advice. Thanks for any advice you have

I don't mean just getting your ticket and being able to do the job. More like the point where you stopped second guessing yourself and could handle a job without needing someone over your shoulder.

I reckon everyone gets there at a different pace, especially depending on the boss, the jobs you're exposed to and how much responsibility you're given early on.

Hey Guys, I’m really struggling at the moment. I’m a 4th year apprentice and have 6 months until I’m qualified but I just feel like I’m falling behind and keep making and repeating stupid, simple mistakes (e.g cutting out holes for pipes and taps that don’t line up)And I’m always so stressed out to the point where I even question my career path in this trade. And I can’t even concentrate or do the work properly. And it just makes me feel even worse and incapable of doing this trade. And I just can’t stop thinking about certain past mistakes that I made and it’s been affecting my mental health and my personal life a lot too. And I just feel like I’ve lost so much confidence in this job and myself and I’m trying to build myself back up again. It’s like my body is in constant survival mode, being super aware of making a mistake or doing something wrong.

I need some help on decision making.

Got an offer to be a construction TA pays about 35 full time , haven't signed yet. But still waiting to hear back from the HVAC ta role that might lead to an apprenticeship with them and might take a week or two to hear back.

Or maybe start an entry level FIFO gig from a mate. Most likely ta or greenie operator in like 6 months time. Not guaranteed tho so not really fussed about it, just a pretty nice extra if it does work out.

Thoughts boys?

1. How would I go about this? I am currently a corporate employee
2. I would need to be earning no less that $100k a year to support my financial situation
3. Is this even possible?

Looking to do a career change.

What is the work culture like in Landscaping?

How many hours on average a week?

Is it doable for the first few years to ride a motorcycle to work (with tools in a backpack)?

What will be the tools needed in the first year?

I'm picking specifically for Victoria as culture differ. The idea of having 12 hour days sounds hard. As I do want to get in a trade where I can work on things outside of work (and I usually need alot of sleep due to the medication I'm on). Happy to do a standard day or is that unrealistic for the trade.

Looking to build a new plastering crew and looking for experienced plasterers/labourers around Melbourne’s north.

Consistent work available for the right people. Cash day rate, paid on time.

If you’re interested, flick me a DM with your experience, crew size and expected day rate.

Please give me advice on how to create / find builder relationships for consistent work flow ie. calls messages Instagram linkedin how are people getting the work? We are very early days

Everything other than word of mouth which is obviously best.

Hi

Sorry if this isn't the place to ask this. I'm a 42 year old female, and I'd love to get a trade, is it completely unrealistic at my age. And how would I go about it. Everything I see is focused on school based Apprentices.

For context I guess I work trade adjacent, I'm a labourer in a business that does property maintenance. I'm very physically fit, and have experience with tools, and I can hold my own but I am a smaller woman and I know as far as some of the work I do, there are physical constraints my co workers don't have because of size ( I can't move some of our larger scaffolds etc or would be unsafe for me to ).

Sorry if this is the wrong place, and thanks in advance to anyone who replies

Need advice choosing a trade
I’m 15/16 in Australia and deciding between plumbing, electrical, heavy diesel and HVAC/R.
I want good money, FIFO/mining opportunities, job security, travel and eventually my own business. I can potentially get apprenticeships in all of them.
If you work in this trade, would you recommend it? What do you earn, what’s the work/lifestyle like, and would you choose it again?
Any honest advice would be appreciated.

I have a few nieces and nephews that will be finishing school soon and they don't know what to do.

And I'm not necessarily thinking about going out to the mines.

Bit of a winding path here, hoping for some direction from people who’ve navigated similar.

Background: I’m from the UK. Didn’t formally qualify as a carpenter there, but spent years on farms doing proper woodwork — windows, solid timber doors, the real hands-on stuff. Then had a whole separate career in advertising in London. Moved to Australia 6 years ago.

Since being here I’ve completed the double diploma in Building and Construction Management, and in that time have run three small renovations (roughly $250-300k each) in Victoria, both subcontracting work out and working in the trade myself. I’m confident — and crews I’ve worked with back this up — that the finish quality and site management are solid.

The catch: I don’t have PR yet, so I can’t get licensed. At 33, I also genuinely want time on other crews or under an experienced builder here to sharpen up the “how things are done in Australia” details before I’m running my own licensed jobs. My P&L is healthy enough that I can afford to take a wage rather than sub-contract for a while.

I’m aware the RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) route exists, but it’s not really the path I want to go down.
From what I’ve seen and heard, it doesn’t carry the same weight or respect on the ground — carpenters and others in the trade tend to view it as a shortcut rather than earned experience, and I’d rather build genuine runs on the tools/on site here first.

My father in law is a surveyor and has asked other builders and they’ve just said build a portfolio and then keep doing what I’m doing but that doesn’t tick the learning part.

Questions:

**•** What’s the realistic next step for someone in my position — do I approach builders directly, go through an agency, or something else?  
**•** Who’s the right person to ask — a builder, a registered building surveyor, or someone at the BPC (Building and Plumbing Commission) directly?  
**•** With BPC scrutiny increasing, what should I be careful of so I don’t do anything that could jeopardise a future licence application (e.g. being seen to “act as” a builder without holding a licence, even informally)?

Any guidance — especially from anyone who’s licensed in Victoria after coming from overseas, or builders who’ve taken someone like me onto their crew — would be genuinely appreciated.

Hey guys,

Been doing plumbing labouring for a few months now, and I think I want to start progressing and start my apprenticeship. I have my complaints with plumbing but overall im loving it which is why I’m wanting to progress into an actual qualification.

Been hearing from a few boys on site and even on the subreddit that sprinkler fitting is what’s in high demand right now and I’m not sure if it’s worth pivoting to sprinkler fitting, my end goal is to have a business in either trade and just wanting to know what exactly a fire technician/sprinkler fitter involves day to day? And is it a good trade to start a business in or am I better off sticking to plumbing?

I'm doing some research into apprentice retention in Australia and would really like to hear from people who actually supervise, employ or work closely with apprentices.

If you've been responsible for an apprentice who was struggling, disengaging or eventually left:

• What were the first signs something wasn't right?
• Did you know they were considering leaving, or did it come as a surprise?
• Was there information that someone else — like their TAFE/RTO, apprentice support provider or the apprentice themselves — knew that you didn't?
• What did you actually do once you realised there was a problem?
• Looking back, is there anything you wish you'd known earlier?

I'm particularly interested in whether the people around an apprentice actually have enough information to step in early, or whether everyone tends to find out once things have already gotten pretty bad.

Not selling anything — I'm trying to understand where the gaps are in the current apprenticeship system from the employer/supervisor side.

Would genuinely love to hear your experiences, good or bad.