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How to write a resume for a trades apprenticeship in Australia

What an apprenticeship application resume looks like in Australia. Differs from the white-collar template: licences, white card, fit-for-work attitude, transport and references all sit higher up the page.

A trades apprenticeship resume is its own format. The white-collar advice (one page, brief, light on hobbies) still applies, but the priorities are different. A carpenter taking on an apprentice cares whether you can read a tape measure, follow instructions and turn up at 6:30am. Your resume should make that obvious in the first 10 seconds.

The format

For a trades resume use this order:

  1. Name and contact details at the top. Phone, email, suburb.
  2. Licences and tickets. List what you hold, with state and expiry where relevant. White Card, RSA, driver licence (full, P1 or P2), forklift, first aid, working with children check.
  3. Transport. 'Own car, fully licensed, willing to travel within Greater Sydney' or equivalent. Many apprenticeship jobs are not transit accessible at 6am.
  4. Tools and on-tools experience. Anything from year 11 woodwork to a holiday job labouring at your uncle's plumbing business. Even casual labouring shows you understand site work.
  5. Education, brief: school, year completed, key subjects (maths, woodwork, metalwork, automotive, design and tech).
  6. Other work, including any casual or volunteer job that demonstrates reliability.
  7. References, listed up front with names and phone numbers. Not 'available on request'.

Save as PDF, named firstname-lastname-resume.pdf.

Why licences come first

A White Card costs about $50 to $80 and takes a few hours to do online or in person. Without it you cannot legally enter a construction site. Almost every trades job advert in Australia either says 'White Card required' or assumes it. Putting yours at the top means the employer does not have to scan for it.

Apprenticeship-relevant tickets and licences worth listing where you have them:

  • White Card (construction induction). Different name in some states; same nationally recognised qualification.
  • Driver licence including the level (Learner, P1, P2, Full).
  • First aid certificate (Provide First Aid HLTAID011).
  • Working safely at heights if you have it (common for roof plumbing, sparkies, scaffolding).
  • Working with children check for trades that touch schools or sport.
  • Confined spaces or working in hot conditions tickets where you have them.

Listing 'White Card pending' is acceptable if you have booked the course; just put the date.

Showing you can use your hands

The hardest thing for school leavers in trades applications is showing you have done practical work before. Translate what you have done into the language employers use.

  • 'Built two metal coffee tables in year 12 D and T using MIG welding, sheet metal cutting and powder coating.' Better than 'I did metalwork in school.'
  • 'Helped my uncle complete bathroom rough-ins on three jobs in school holidays in 2025. Tasks included measuring up, cutting copper, basic soldering and chasing.'
  • 'Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity weekend builds twice in 2024 and 2025 (8 days total).'
  • 'Renovated own bedroom with father: removed plasterboard, installed new framing, hung plasterboard, set joints. Took 4 weekends.'

Quantify the time and the task. 'I helped on a building site' is much weaker than 'I did 3 weeks of labouring for a residential builder in November 2025'.

Education that matters

Year 12 maths, woodwork or metalwork and design and tech are the school subjects employers care about for most trades. Year 11 or 12 chemistry, physics and electronics matter for electrical, refrigeration, mechatronics and laboratory trades. Drama, English Extension and modern history are fine to list but they will not move the needle.

If you went to a school with strong VET pathways (Cert II in Engineering, Cert II in Construction, Cert II in Automotive), put the certificate name on a line of its own.

References that work

Two or three referees who will pick up the phone. Each line should have:

  • Full name and role
  • Their relationship to you (year 12 maths teacher, scout leader, casual employer)
  • Phone number
  • 'Permission to contact' confirmed

The best referees for trades are:

  1. A casual employer (cafe, bakery, retail) who saw your shift discipline.
  2. A teacher of a hands-on subject (D and T, metalwork, woodwork, art).
  3. A sports coach or scout leader who saw you turn up on time across a season.

Family members are not referees. School careers advisers can write you a letter, but a phone number is worth more.

Common mistakes

  • No phone number, or a phone number you do not answer. Apprenticeship recruiters call. If you screen unknown numbers, change the setting for a fortnight while you apply.
  • Sending the same generic CV to 20 employers. Tailor the first line of the cover letter at least, and the order of your tickets so the most relevant one is first.
  • Listing 'forklift' when you do not have the ticket. Worth more than your resume to a small trades business is honesty; getting caught fakes is a one-way ticket.
  • Burying your driver licence three pages in. Put transport up front.
  • Treating the application like an essay. Trades applications are short, factual and tactile. The cover letter is half a page, not two.

Related

The information here is general only and is not employment, training or legal advice. For advice on your individual situation, talk to your school careers adviser, your apprenticeship network provider, or Apprenticeships Australia at apprenticeships.gov.au.

Frequently asked

What is the most important thing on a trades resume?
Three things in this order. First, that you have a current White Card (general construction induction) or are about to get one. Second, that you have transport (full or P-plate licence and access to a car). Third, that you are reliable, can read instructions and want to learn. School marks and ATAR are far less important than these three.
Should I include my marks?
Only if they support the trade. Strong year 11 or 12 maths is worth mentioning for carpentry, plumbing, electrical, sheet metal and mechanical trades because you will need it for the off-the-job training. For most other trades a Pass or Credit is fine; nobody is comparing ATARs.
How important are references for a trades application?
Very. A good reference from a teacher, sports coach, or someone who has employed you casually is worth more than another paragraph of self-description. Trades employers are filtering for reliability; references are the cheapest way to verify it. List two or three with full names, role and phone number.
Do I need a cover letter for a trades apprenticeship?
Yes, but keep it short. Half a page or less. Trades employers want to know why you picked the trade, what you have done that shows your hands work, and that you will turn up on time. Skip the long paragraphs about passion; show, do not tell.

Sources

Last updated 2026-05-21.

ExamExplained is not a recruitment agent, registered career counsellor or licensed employment service. Guidance here is general and based on public information; for advice on your individual situation, see your school careers adviser, your university careers hub, or Workforce Australia (formerly Jobactive) at workforceaustralia.gov.au.