Community employment & training pathways
The repair bench doubles as a training floor.
Appliance repair is an unusually good entry point into the electrical and manufacturing trades: the work is tangible, the feedback is immediate, and mistakes on a write-off unit cost nothing.
The pathway
Three stages, from work readiness to qualification.
- 1
Work readiness & safety
Months 1–3 · WHS and workshop protocols, hand tools, entry-level electrical safety leading to test-and-tag certification, plus punctuality, teamwork and customer service.
- 2
Technical & mechanical repair
Months 4–12 · Supervised triage and fault-finding, motor and pump replacement, seal and bearing work, parts harvesting from write-offs. Paid trainee wages, part-time or full-time.
- 3
Apprenticeship & qualification
Years 2–4 · Transition into a formal apprenticeship or traineeship in appliance service or electrical trades via a partner RTO/TAFE, with placement inside the enterprise or with an industry partner.
Qualification codes to be verified before publication. The intended endpoint is the national Certificate III in Appliance Service (or an equivalent electrical trade qualification). Current training package codes, scope and the delivery arrangements available locally must be confirmed directly with the partner RTO/TAFE and the national training register before this pathway is described to prospective trainees or funders.
Who the pathway is designed for
Structural barriers, not a single demographic.
People facing structural barriers to employment rather than a single demographic — long-term unemployed adults, mature-age workers re-entering the workforce after injury or redundancy, veterans in transition, people exiting care or justice pathways, carers returning to work, and young people who left school early. Intake is by referral from employment service providers and community organisations, with places held open across these groups.
- Long-term unemployed
- Mature-age re-entry
- Veteran in transition
- Exiting care
- Justice pathway
- Carer returning to work
- Early school leaver
What makes it stick
Four things that are structural, not aspirational.
Paid from day one of Stage 2
Unpaid “work experience” fails the people this pathway exists for. Trainee wages are budgeted inside the cost of each unit, supported where available by wage subsidy programs, so paid work is structural rather than conditional on a grant round.
Wraparound support, not just supervision
Referral partners retain a case-management relationship with each participant. Attendance barriers — transport, housing, health, court dates — are handled by people qualified to handle them, not by the workshop supervisor.
Practice on units that cannot be spoiled
Write-off machines destined for parts harvesting are the training stock. Trainees learn strip-down, diagnosis and reassembly on units where a mistake has no commercial or safety consequence.
A qualification with a market outside us
The endpoint is a portable, nationally recognised qualification — the pathway succeeds when a participant can leave for a better job, not only when they stay.
Apply
If the work sounds like something you would be good at, tell us.
You do not need experience, tools, or a trade background. You need to want to learn a trade and be able to turn up. We will have a conversation, walk you through the workshop, and be straight with you about what the pathway involves.
Is it paid?
Stage 1 is training — WHS, workshop protocols and test-and-tag certification. From Stage 2 onwards the work is paid, part-time or full-time. Trainee wages are budgeted inside the cost of every unit we sell, so paid work is structural rather than conditional on a grant round.
What if I have things going on outside work?
Most people who come through this pathway do. Transport, housing, health and court dates are handled by your referral partner's case manager — people qualified to handle them — not by the workshop supervisor. Rostering is flexible and production plans do not assume full availability.
What do I come out with?
Test-and-tag certification early, then supervised trade hours, then a transition into a formal apprenticeship or traineeship in appliance service or electrical trades via a partner RTO or TAFE. The endpoint is a portable, nationally recognised qualification — the pathway succeeds when you can leave for a better job, not only when you stay.
What if I break something?
You will, and that is planned for. Write-off machines destined for parts harvesting are the training stock. You learn strip-down, diagnosis and reassembly on units where a mistake has no commercial or safety consequence.
Training application
Hayden Della Casa Alberighi runs the workshop and handles intake. Referral workers can apply on someone’s behalf — just say so in the last field.
For RTOs, TAFEs and employment service providers
A real workplace with supervised placements.
What we ask for
Structured off-the-job delivery and apprenticeship pathway agreements. For employment service providers: referral of participants, and a retained case-management relationship so attendance barriers are handled by people qualified to handle them.
What you get
A real workplace with supervised placements and completions in a trade with genuine local shortage. Training hours, certification progression and employment retention at 6 and 12 months are all tracked and reported back to you.
Training partnerships are established once the workshop can reliably supervise trainees without compromising output. Trainee intake does not begin until a licensed supervisor is engaged and the workshop passes safety induction.
Get involved
A qualification with a market outside us.
The pathway succeeds when a participant can leave for a better job, not only when they stay. If you run an RTO, a TAFE program or an employment service, a pathway conversation is one of the three things we are asking founding partners for right now.