How to request and select a school based trainee

To register for the 2025 intake of the School Based Traineeship Program you need to:

• confirm by 23 February 2024 you are employing at least one trainee in 2025 by emailing youth@psc.wa.gov.au
• complete the agency profile template and return it to youth@psc.wa.gov.au  by 5 April 2024.

Your agency profile highlights to students the benefits of working in your agency and includes contact information for students to submit their applications.

This page is live when student applications open in 2024.

When applications open in 2024, students are pointed to agency profiles and asked to apply directly to agencies they are interested in.

They submit applications to your contact or through RAMS (if this is your preference) and include:

• completed School based trainee application form
• current resume
• Year 10 semester one report which demonstrates at least one of the following:
  • minimum C grades for Mathematics and English
  • minimum NAPLAN Band 8
  • OLNA Category 3.

If your agency requires additional information from students include this in your agency profile.

You are responsible for:

• reviewing each student’s application and ensuring all necessary documentation is included
• confirming each student’s eligibility.

To be eligible, a student must:

• be in Year 10 (starting Year 11 in 2025)
• be a permanent resident or Australian or New Zealand citizens or provide a copy of an Australian visa that supports the traineeship contract requirements
• provide a Year 10 report showing one of the following:
• minimum C grades for Mathematics and English
• minimum NAPLAN Band 8
• OLNA Category 3

If a student has not yet received their Year 10 semester one report, or they are still working towards their WACE in an alternate way, they must provide written endorsement from the school principal to indicate they are on track to achieve the eligibility requirements.

Contact the student directly to request any missing documentation, including the student’s parent/guardian and school VET coordinator in all correspondence.

Home schooled students

A school based traineeship can only be undertaken by a full time student who is enrolled in a school as defined in the School Education Act 1999.

A students who is in a registered home education arrangement is not eligible for a school based traineeship as they are not enrolled in a school and do not meet the achievement requirements of WACE through home education studies.

Once you complete the assessment you:

• decide on your process to screen and select applicants
• directly invite students for interviews.

The interview process should align with your internal requirements and be suitable for the young age and limited professional experience of applicants.

Interview question examples

• Why do you want to do a school based traineeship?
• What Microsoft Office software are you familiar with?
• Please give an example of when you have worked independently.
• Tell us about any work experience you have done.
• What do you think makes you a good person to work with in a team?
• Give an example of when you have worked in a team.
• What do you consider to be good customer service?
• What do you think makes someone a good team member?
• How would you deal with a difficult customer?

Once you complete the screening process you can offer employment.

• Notify all applicants of the outcome of the selection process as soon as possible.
• Send the successful applicant/s an employment contract and any other documents required by your agency.
• Include in the contract:
  • fixed term employment for 18 months aligned to the traineeship dates for 2025-26 (Public Sector Commission provides traineeship dates when promoting the program in 2024)
  • part time of 15 hours a week (generally Thursdays and Fridays).
• Advise the Commission of your selection to youth@psc.wa.gov.au.

Variation to traineeship days and hours

Analysis of previous traineeships shows students learn more and are more likely to complete the traineeship when they work 2 consecutive days a week. Thursdays and Fridays are the recommend days.

You can speak with the school to determine alternative workdays.

Trainees can request to work one day a week and you can determine if this is acceptable. If you approve one day a week, you must pay the trainee for a minimum of 7.5 hours a week on a continuous basis over the training contract.

Your nominated Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider can help you meet the requirements under the traineeship contract.