Download - Competenz

Introducing the Elev8 apprenticeship
Elev8 apprenticeships are all about helping your
apprentices get through their unit standards
so that they finish on time. Signing up to an
apprenticeship is a big deal for the employer, for
the apprentice, and for Competenz.
Right attitude, right aptitude
A Strength Test is a good place to start.
This tells you if you are getting the right person
with the right attitude and aptitude, working
in a company with the right equipment for
the qualification.
The apprentice will do a 10–15 minute test with a
Competenz Account Manager to see what his or her
reading, writing and comprehension ability is. We will also
check mechanical aptitude, reasoning and number skills.
We’re looking for strengths and weaknesses so
we can arrange extra support if it is needed.
The company needs to have the right equipment so
that the apprentice can do his or her unit standards. If
not, there needs to be an agreement put in place so that
the apprentice can go elsewhere to do these units. A
Competenz Account Manager will check the capability of
the company.
A Competenz Account Manager also has a
conversation with the apprentice to make sure he/she is
really serious and understands his/her responsibilities to
get through an apprenticeship on time.
4 visits a year
A Competenz Account Manager will visit the workplace
4 times a year – to the apprentice and the employer.
During the visits, the Account Manager will:
• Check whether targets are being met
• Address issues and set new targets
• Help the apprentice match jobs completed to unit
standards and complete the paperwork
• Check in with the employer to talk about areas that
need improvement
• Mentor and support the apprentice to completion
• Keep track of and arrange off-job training.
After the visit, the Account Manager will co-ordinate
visits or block courses with MACs, training providers
and the employer.
Free assessments
Free assessments will be done by a Competenz
Assessor. This saves you taking a skilled tradesman
off the job to do assessment and will help ensure
consistency nationwide. We will do this in conjunction
with the supervisor so we can check that “competent”
means competent.
If a company wants to keep its own Assessor, this is fine
– we’ll work with apprentices to help them do their book
work and keep on track passing their unit standards.
We also moderate assessments to make sure
assessments are the same nationally and that
apprentices are as good as they can be.

The Elev8 apprenticeship
Night classes or study groups
Mechanical Engineering, Fabrication and HVAC
All Mechanical Engineering, Fabrication and HVAC
apprentices will be enrolled in a night class or
correspondence with study groups.
Night classes and study groups will be 2 hours instead
of 3 hours. Night classes have a teacher to teach
apprentices. Study groups are for self-learning with a
tutor on hand if help is needed. Apprentices will be able
to go to these groups to get help or to just work in a
place away from home or work.
Refrigeration
Correspondence study for Refrigeration will stay as it
currently is.
Block Courses
We are shortening block courses. In Year 1, the block
course can often be done just as effectively on the job.
Plus, it has the advantage that you do not have to release
the apprentice to attend the block course.
In Years 2 and 3, some of the skills in the qualification are
now taught on the job, or are covered in night classes.
We know, too, that workplaces struggle without their
increasingly skilled apprentices for any length of time.
Block courses by trade
Mechanical Engineering
Level A 10-day block course
Level B 5- to 15-day block course
Fabrication
Year 1 optional 10-day block course
Year 2 10-day block course
Year 3 10-day block course
HVAC
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
optional 10-day block course
13-day block course
13-day block course
Refrigeration
Year 1 10-day block course
Year 2 13-day block course
Year 3 13-day block course
Locksmiths
We are looking to review these courses
for 2011.
Fee
The Elev8 Apprenticeship will cost $950 +GST per year
– plus the cost of the block courses, night classes or
correspondence classes, and manuals.
It’s a big investment ...
for everyone
It’s a big investment training an apprentice but before
you even sign someone on, a lot of work has gone into
figuring out what an apprentice needs to learn and how
they’ll get the skills.
It is not well known that Competenz:
• Talks to groups of your peers to decide what skills
should be in the unit standards that make up a
qualification
• Designs the qualifications to make sure the skills
an apprentice has to learn are fit for the industry
• Writes and produces the manuals and resources
• Contracts training providers to run block courses,
night classes or correspondence study groups and
subsidises the cost of these courses.
And during the apprenticeship, Competenz Moderators
make sure that passing a qualification actually means the
apprentice is able to do the tasks required on the job.
Contact us
For more details call 0800 526 1800 and ask to speak to
your local Competenz Account Manager.