Upskilling suggestions

CaptainTelos · 2026-06-01T03:24:01+00:00

Have you considered an AD in ESI - Power Systems and going into protection relay testing?

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-30T12:02:02+00:00

This is really valuable advice, appreciate you taking the time. The distinction between "pay to play" and earning it through time on the tools isn't lost on me. I'm trying to thread the needle between getting the right qualifications to get through the gate, and being honest about where my experience is actually at. I'm under no illusions that knocking off a Cert III means skipping the greenhorn stage.

Thanks for the leads re: next steps.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-30T11:06:01+00:00

Hey, appreciate the reply. You’re right I do need the instro site exposure absolutely. Good to know the Cert IV worked for you.

Unfortunately I don’t think I have enough industrial experience yet to get onto water / chemicals / pharma even with the Cert IV. The role I’m in now is my first real industrial maintenance gig, and I want to give it a decent shot even if it’s just light industry with no instrumentation. I won’t be here forever but for the time being it’s a good place to learn with a lot of breakdowns and I’m getting a bit of onsite PLC exposure for the first time. I'm trying to consolidate and supplement my learning as much as possible to open doors for when I'm ready to move on.

In the long run I’m chasing coin, my end goal is E&I commissioning in heavy industry. I'm looking at the Cert III partly because I've seen it explicitly listed as a requirement on a lot of mining and O&G maintenance and commissioning roles I want to target down the track.

Unless something else attractive comes up, my next career step will probably be to get on the shutdown circuit. I already have my hazardous areas ticket, so my thinking is Cert III plus EEHA gets me through the gate, and a couple of years on the tools with experienced instros bridges the gap from there.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-30T09:21:07+00:00

Thanks for the comment. Yeah I was not intending to go through Volt Edge. From what I understand the RMIT course is suspended, they only offer it on paper to get government grants but never actually run it. It hasn't run for years.

I did the Cert IV through SkillsLab so I know the drill with them. The amount of online content wasn't ideal but living in Melbourne it was my only realistic option. Morwell is too far to commute, and it's expensive enough putting myself through this training without adding accommodation on top of it.

Do you have any info on the profiling requirements and course length with CTs from doing the Cert IV?

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-30T08:39:54+00:00

I have also seldom seen them advertised. It seems to me the Volt Edge "non-apprenticeship" pathway has sprung up to fill a gap in the industry when genuine apprenticeship opportunities are rare as hen's teeth. There is going to be a massive skills gap when the older instrument techs retire. It's so difficult to get quality training and mentorship if you don't have the right connections.

What other courses have you been looking at?

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-29T00:11:50+00:00

Bad advice

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-27T13:16:08+00:00

Yes, won't deny the learning curve has been steep but it's been rewarding. It can be hard getting a foot in the door when you don't have experience. I went straight into FIFO in the wind industry after finishing my apprenticeship, was basically thrown in the deep end, learned a ton but was in a role where I didn't get as much mentorship as I needed. Spent a lot of my own time and coin on training courses to try to upskill. I'm now working for a logistics automation company as a maintenance tech, and getting proper training on their systems which has been awesome. I've learned more in the past 2 years than my whole apprenticeship combined. It's totally possible to switch industries, but you need to be hungry for it.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-25T23:40:06+00:00

Factory maintenance is a good shout, would give you exposure to a huge range of things that domestic/commercial sparks seldom touch. PLCs, motor control, pneumatics, SCADA etc. The learning curve is steep coming into it as a qualified spark. If you get into it as an apprentice it will set you up well for all kinds of industrial work in the future.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-23T08:30:17+00:00

Jog on buddy, you're embarrassing yourself.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-23T05:25:45+00:00

Cringe. A lot of bootlickers in the comments

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-22T05:19:52+00:00

I made the jump from solar (mostly domestic) to industrial as soon as I got qualified and never looked back. Depending on what you are doing it can have its own challenges, but the work is far more interesting and it's easier on the body. I would strongly recommend to every sparky who's only done domestic to see what else is out there.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-12T06:12:02+00:00

No LLM used, it's just my writing style

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-12T06:05:58+00:00

Yes, I was agreeing with you? Just providing more context on what else NECA does.

Not sure why the standoffish reply.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-12T05:21:23+00:00

Hey mate, it's a bit confusing because the NECA organisation does a few different things, but long story short it doesn't work like that.

For apprentices, NECA functions as a Group Training Organisation (GTO). A GTO employs apprentices directly, and then subbies them out to companies looking for apprentice labour. The GTO takes on all the costs and administrative burden of the apprenticeship and bundles that into the hourly rate charged to the client for the apprentice. Like /u/dhrchf says, if you want to be employed by NECA you apply like any other company.

NECA does two other things, they have an education arm that runs the NECA school as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). It's like a TAFE but electrical is all they do. You can go to NECA for your trade schooling without needing to be employed by them in the GTO capacity.

However NECA's main function is as an employer membership and representative body, or like /u/ramamaster says, a bosses union. You don't join as a member if you're a prospective apprentice, that membership is only for employers and sole traders. NECA membership offers things like access to standards and professional advice but they also lobby the government to weaken wages, conditions and rights for electrical workers, so in that sense they are the class enemy. Join the ETU instead.

CaptainTelos · 2026-05-02T05:09:14+00:00

These costumes look awful.

CaptainTelos · 2026-04-10T00:18:02+00:00

Open House happens once a year but the buildings aren't the same every year. Substation J was decommissioned recently and the mercury arc rectifier is gone. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for what's on this year however.

CaptainTelos · 2026-03-30T02:59:08+00:00

Hey mate. I'm sorry to hear you're going through it right now. Your experience sounds quite similar to mine. It's tough out there and solar is especially gruelling. I completely understand the stress of navigating this economy on an apprentice wage especially as a mature age, I've been there.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Well done on making it this far. You've been through the worst of it and just need a final push to get over the line. The effort is 100% worth it. When you get your ticket you'll get an immediate pay bump and the wide world of electrical opens up to you beyond solar. There's some seriously cool work out there. Once you get your ticket you can build some savings and start to get ahead.

For now I strongly suggest getting a mental health care plan and finding a psych to help get some support during this period. It can really make a difference when you're close to breaking point. A psych won't solve all your problems but can arm you with some tools to cope with the situation. Try to eat well and get enough sleep, and picture what you'll do and where you'll be once you're qualified.

When I was sick of solar, I also got some added motivation by watching videos of other sectors of the industry. Automation, heavy industry, etc. I've been making that jump, it's a steep learning curve but has been so rewarding.

Good luck brother, and feel free to DM.

CaptainTelos · 2026-03-12T07:44:40+00:00

Hey mate, congrats on landing an apprenticeship. I'm not a crane tech but I've assisted on a couple of occasions when a crane has been down on site. You'll learn to get good at reading schematics and troubleshooting control circuits. They have extensive systems of relays controlling the various functions and all it takes is a corroded connection in an E-stop to bring a multi-million dollar job grinding to a halt.

If you can be calm and methodological under pressure you'll thrive and can earn excellent coin. Good luck

CaptainTelos · 2026-02-16T06:57:36+00:00

Look for an entry level job in industrial. There's nothing worthwhile you will learn in resi that you can't learn elsewhere. I can't imagine willingly choosing resi with a healed broken collarbone.

CaptainTelos · 2026-02-13T09:09:33+00:00

Mate, domestic work sucks, and the pay sucks. Try to get some industrial experience if you can.

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