School Based Apprenticeships & Traineeships (SBAT's)

SBAT Toolkit – Join us on the journey of a SBAT Student

I've heard about SBATs, what do I need to know?

School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships are a great opportunity for young people to combine their Senior Secondary Schooling with specific training and related industry employment.

SBATs are available to students who are:

Aged 15 years and over, and
Enrolled in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)
Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents

Schools work with students to ensure the SBAT links directly to their career plan and goals. SBATs can be undertaken in a number of different areas including, Business, Hospitality, Automotive, Beauty, Health Services, Digital Media & Technology, Retail and many more.

For an SBAT to be registered with Australian Network Providers (ANP) there needs to be a Training Contract set up with the employer. The Training Contract is in place, this lists the qualification and units to be studied, identifies the RTO and requires your school endorsement.

A typical week for a young person undertaking a SBAT can look like this:

3 days at school
One day of paid employment, and
One day of training

Depending on how the training and employment works, the student may undertake a combo of training (theory) and on the job training at the workplace over 2 days. In other instances, the student will attend the workplace one day a week and a training provider (classroom) one day a week.

What is the difference between an apprenticeship and traineeship? In most instances, an apprenticeship will relate to a trade such as hairdressing or automotive and a traineeship provides training in a vocational area such as business administration.

I know about SBATs, what's next?

First step is to a visit to your Careers Practitioner, have a chat to them about what SBAT area you are interested in, what’s involved, and does it fit in with your career plan? Can you manage an SBAT and everything that goes with it, e.g., travelling to the workplace and training provider and still attend regular school and keep up with your studies?

Have the same conversation with your parents or guardians, what do they think? Can they support you with transport to and from the place of employment? Remember your parents/guardian may not have heard about SBATs before so you will need to explain how it works, better yet show them this webpage!

It's also a good time to have a chat with other students who are completing their SBAT? Are they enjoying it? How do they juggle school, work and study? Who are they doing their SBAT with? Connecting with other students who are completing their SBAT is a great way for you to network, you might find their employer is looking for more SBAT students.

Next step is to find an employer. You can do this in a few different ways:

See your Careers Practitioner, they will have contacts in this area
You can search for an SBAT using this portal: https://workplacements.education.vic.gov.au/search/
You might have your own employer contacts, for example the employer you completed your Work Experience or Structured Workplace Learning (SWL)
Your family or friends might know someone who can offer you an SBAT
RTO's who deliver the course you are interested in may be able to help you with this. RTO's often have established contacts with employers and can provide assistance/tips to find an employer

You might have to call around to organisations or employers within the industry you are interested in.

I've found an SBAT I want to do, what does my school do now?

You will need to complete some paperwork. Your teacher will help you to do this. Click here to view a helpful form.
Your teacher may contact the employer to discuss the opportunity, or
The Careers Coordinator or your employer will contact the appropriate Australian Apprenticeship Support Group (AASN) to organise paperwork.
The AASN will work with the employer and student to set up and sign a Training Contract. The training contract will be signed by the employer and your parent/guardian. The contract is then signed by your school.
The AASN will apply for a Delta Number via the federal government. This is to connect your school record with the apprenticeship/traineeship. The Tafe/RTO/Training provider will then take responsibility for your industry learning. The Delta Number can take up to a month to receive.
Your school will be the final group to sign the Training Plan that has been prepared by the Tafe/Course Provider/RTO. Your school will include the training plan in your student file.
The school will update their internal system (VASS) to reflect the SBAT and make sure the SBAT contributes to the completion of their VCE or VCAL.
The school will let your teachers know that you are completing an SBAT and let them know the days that you will be working or at training, it will look something link this this.
Your school will send your parents/guardian, employer and training provider a letter or email to let them know that the SBAT is ready to/or has commenced – you can see an example of the letter to parents here, to the employer here and training provider here.
Your school will provide you with support and guidance to make sure you are prepared and ready to start your SBAT

What can I expect from my SBAT training provider?

Your Tafe/RTO/Training provider will call or email you to let you know how your training will occur e.g. each week, fortnightly or in week long blocks. They will also let you know if the training will be delivered online, face to face or a combo of both. You need to pass this information on to your school.
Your training provider must provide you with information about the training, assessment, and support services they offer, and explain your rights and obligations. They should also let you know where you can find the provider’s policies and procedures.
Your training provider must be registered to deliver training, you can check this here
The SBAT Training provider must include units of study that lead to a nationally registered qualification. You can check this here: here or here
The training provider will need to be able to tell you what jobs your training will lead to and what the job prospects are
The training provider will tell you about the cost of the training (this may include reduced fees for concession card holders), what do you get for the fees, are resources included? Also, how long the course goes for, required hours and what the assessments will be and how they will be assessed.
Your RTO may provide you with pathway's for further studies and possible industry employment opportunities once you complete your SBAT.

What can I expect from my SBAT employer?

Your employer should be approachable and supportive. They should make you feel safe in the workplace by taking you through a comprehensive orientation. You should know who to go to if you need help or if you have a question. Your employer should tell you what to do if you are running late or need to leave early.

You should know where the tearoom is and the bathroom, they should take you through the Occupational Health & Safety procedures.

The employer will take you through how you are paid, how much and when. Your payments should be in line with the award. For more information about this you can check out the Fair Work site here

Your employer should create an environment that encourages open communication between the students, school staff and employer and let you know that you can contact your school when you need to.

Your employer should know what you are learning as part of your theory work and try to set up tasks in your employment that help to cement that learning.

What can I expect from my school?

Your school would have done all of the required checks when signing you up to your SBAT. This includes making sure the SBAT is in line with your career goals and that your school feels confident that the RTO/Tafe/Training provider will deliver quality training. That the Training Contract has been signed and registered with ANP and that the SBATs contributes to the completing of your VCAL or VCE.

Your school will let your other teachers know that you are completing an SBAT, when you are doing it, who your employer and RTO is. Here is an example of the email they may send:

They should communicate any issues or needs you may have with the employer and training provider to make sure they are informed, and you are supported. The school has a constant duty of care.

The school should have prepared you for the workplace by training you in policies and procedures such as OH&S, Bully & Harassment, Child Safety Act, Privacy etc. Not only should you be aware of them, but you should also know what to do if you ever feel unsafe in the workplace or at training.

Your school should set you up for success and be there to support you throughout your training. They will do this by checking in with you on a regular basis to get an update on how you are going. They also monitor your attendance and make sure you are going well with your training and on-track to complete the SBAT as scheduled.

What is expected from me during my SBAT?

Once you complete your SBAT you will be awarded a Statement of Attainment or full qualification from the RTO. You will also receive credits towards the competition of your VCAL or VCE Certificate.

Its also a good time to speak to your Careers Practitioner about what’s next for you. You could ask questions such as: Would you like to continue developing in the same industry you completed your SBAT in? Are there apprenticeships you can apply for at the completion of your senior year? Will your SBAT employer be looking to take on a staff member, can you discuss combining employment and study with them? OR is there further study you can do post VCE/VCAL?

An SBAT is a great opportunity for you to gain employability skills that many others won’t have until after they complete VCE/VCAL or even beyond their further study. Use the SBAT to your advantage, it is the start of your career and the skills you learn during your SBAT can be transferable and will help put you in good stead for the future. Plus, you get paid!

What happens when I finish my SBAT?

Once you complete your SBAT you will be awarded a Statement of Attainment or full qualification from the RTO. You will also receive credits towards the competition of your VCAL or VCE Certificate.