How much does a Year 1 electrical apprentice earn in Australia?

Under MA000025 (Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020), a Year 1 junior electrical apprentice earns $14.43/hr. An adult apprentice — 21 or over at commencement — earns $24.10/hr, the National Minimum Wage floor for FY2025–26.

Why do adult apprentices earn more than junior apprentices?

Adult apprentices (21+ when they started) are protected by the National Minimum Wage floor of $24.10/hr regardless of year level. Junior apprentice rates can fall below this floor — a Year 1 junior electrical apprentice earns $14.43/hr doing the same work on the same site.

What is the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive Payment (AAIP)?

The AAIP provides up to $10,000 over the life of an eligible apprenticeship in a priority occupation — including electrical, plumbing, and construction trades. Payments are made at commencement, 12 months, and completion. Separate from the Trade Support Loan (TSL), which provides up to $25,983 as an income-contingent loan.

What leave entitlements do apprentices get in Australia?

Apprentices receive the same leave entitlements as other employees under the National Employment Standards: 4 weeks annual leave per year, 10 days paid personal/carer's leave, and paid public holidays. Time attending TAFE or your RTO counts as paid work time.

How do I find an apprenticeship in Australia?

The most reliable pathways are: (1) Contact your local Australian Apprenticeships Support Network (AASN) provider via skills.edu.au; (2) Apply directly to trade contractors in your area — most apprentices are hired this way; (3) Register with a Group Training Organisation (GTO) who will host you with different businesses; (4) Complete a TAFE pre-apprenticeship course to improve your application.

Pre-launch · Built on Fair Work Modern Awards

You're not behind.
You were just never
shown the map.

Most apprentices don't lose confidence because they can't do the work.

They lose confidence because nobody shows them where the work is taking them.

Apprentice Register gives you clarity on your pay, progression, and career path — so you can stop guessing and start building with certainty.

$14.43Yr 1 electrical minimum — most don't know they're below it

$10,000Federal apprentice support payments most don't know existFederal Support

$25,983Interest-free apprentice loan most don't know exists

50+Career paths inside one trade — none mapped out for you

$250K+Where a single trade licence can take you

What you'll get right now

Your legal apprentice pay rate

Check if your current pay is correct

See when your next increase happens

Join early access for full career tracking

189 apprentices already know where they stand

Takes 30 seconds · No account required · See your legal award rate instantly

Founding access closes at 300 apprentices

The honest reason

Why this feels harder than it should

You were never shown your real pay progression

Nobody mapped what happens after qualification

Your growth is happening — but you can't see it

Most employers track hours, not careers

The problem isn't your effort.

It's the lack of visibility.

The 4:30pm feeling

On the drive home, this is where most apprentices start questioning everything.

Am I being underpaid?

Am I actually progressing?

Is this trade worth it?

What if I'm wasting years?

You shouldn't have to guess your future while building it.

How it works

Three things every apprentice deserves.
None of them exist anywhere else.

See exactly where you stand on pay

Your award rate by trade, year, and state — surfaced instantly. Not buried in a Fair Work PDF. Not something you have to ask your employer. Yours, in seconds. If you're underpaid, you'll know — and you'll know what to do about it.

→Current pay rates by trade & year of apprenticeship
→Legal minimums under the relevant Modern Award
→Allowances, overtime, and penalty rates explained
→Compare what you earn vs. what you should earn

See where your trade actually goes

Your trade licence is a starting point, not a ceiling. We map every specialisation — what it pays, what it requires, how long it takes — so you can see the future your employer probably never showed you.

→50+ trade specialisation paths mapped
→Salary ranges at each career stage
→Skills and licences required to advance
→Real timelines — not marketing copy

Build proof that belongs to you

A logbook full of hours isn't a portfolio. Document every system you've touched, every problem you've solved, every skill you've built — in a profile owned by you, not your employer, not your RTO. Portable evidence of everything you're becoming.

→Structured competency log beyond the logbook
→Skills and project documentation
→Evidence employers and RTOs actually care about
→Your record, owned by you — not your employer

Find out if what feels off actually is.

Built on Fair Work Modern Awards · State-specific · Instant · No account required

Your profile

Your progress. Documented. Owned by you.

Every shift you work, every system you touch, every competency you build — tracked in a structured profile that's yours to keep. When you change employers, it comes with you. When you go for your next role, it's already built.

Pay rate checker — see your exact Modern Award rate

Competency log — beyond the logbook

Career map — where your trade takes you

Portable — yours even when you change employers

Career map

The career your employer probably never showed you.

Mining electrical. Automation engineering. HV linesmen. Data centres. Every path has a real number at the end and a real route to get there. We show you both — so you can stop guessing and start moving.

Mining Electrical$250K+

Automation Engineer$200K+

HV Linesman$180K+

Data Centre Technician$195K+

The transformation

What changes when you have clarity

Before Apprentice Register

Unsure what you're worth

Guessing what comes next

No proof of growth

Hoping you're on track

After Apprentice Register

→

Know your exact rate

→

See your next career moves

→

Track every skill built

→

Move with certainty

Your progression

You are here. Here's where it goes.

Every year of your apprenticeship builds leverage. Most apprentices never get shown the full picture.

↓ You are hereMin. award

NOW

Year 1

Min. award

+10% uplift

→

Year 2

+10% uplift

+25% uplift

→

Year 3

+25% uplift

+35% uplift

→

Year 4

+35% uplift

$35–50/hr

→

Qualified

$35–50/hr

$150–250K+

→

Specialist

$150–250K+

Where your specialist path can go

Mining $250K+Automation $200K+Project Lead $200K+HV Linesman $180K+Solar & Battery $150K+Hazardous Area $150K+

189 apprentices already on the founding cohort

The career your employer probably never mapped out for you.

50+ paths. Real salaries. Real routes to get there.

Career paths

This trade can take you further than you've been told.

What today feels hard for becomes tomorrow's leverage — if you can see where it leads. Every path, mapped.

Highest ceiling$250K+

Mining Electrical

Electrical

FIFO rosters, remote sites, critical infrastructure. The highest-paying destination for an electrical ticket.

Fast growing$200K+

Automation Engineer

Electrical

PLC programming, SCADA, robotics. Manufacturing and process industries are desperate for this skill set.

High demand$200K+

Estimator / Project Lead

Construction

The business side of building. Quantity surveying, project coordination, site management. Every trade can get here.

Specialist$180K+

Fire & Hydraulics Engineer

Plumbing

Fire sprinkler systems, hydraulic design, commercial builds. A plumbing ticket with serious technical upside.

Licensed$180K+

HV Linesman

Electrical

High voltage transmission and distribution. Physically demanding, highly specialised, well compensated.

Trade ceiling$150K+

Commercial Carpenter

Carpentry

Formwork, high-rise fitout, large commercial sites. The top end of a carpentry ticket pays well above what most apprentices expect.

Mechanical$150K+

Mechanical Services

Plumbing

HVAC, building services, mechanical fit-out. Complex commercial and industrial projects with strong ongoing demand.

Renewable boom$150K+

Solar & Battery

Electrical

Utility-scale solar, battery storage, grid connection. The fastest growing sector in Australian energy.

Certified$150K+

Hazardous Area

Electrical

Ex-rated equipment in explosive atmospheres. Chemical plants, refineries, grain silos. Niche but lucrative.

Salary ranges based on current Australian market data across all trade categories. Actuals vary by trade, experience, location, and employer.

You deserved this before you started.

Join the founding cohort. Shape what this becomes.

Why this exists

“I finished my apprenticeship angry that nobody had built this. So I built it.”
Nik Page — Founder

I built the platform I needed
when I was the apprentice questioning whether this was worth it.

When I did my electrical apprenticeship, the qualified tradespeople I worked with didn't want to train us. We were cheap labour — running cable, cleaning up, going home with $14.43 an hour while they charged the client $120 for our time.

Nobody told us what we were legally owed. Nobody showed us where the trade could actually go. Most of us didn't even know we could be underpaid — because we had nothing to compare it to.

I finished my apprenticeship angry that nobody had built this yet.

So I built it. Every feature is the answer to a question I had as an apprentice and couldn't find anywhere.

The path

Apprentice→

Qualified→

Licensed Master Electrician→

Built Apprentice Register

Every shift you work is building something real.

You just needed someone to show you what.

Nik Page

Founder · 13 years in software · Licensed Master Electrician

Follow the build →

Founding cohort · Limited spots

Stop guessing whether
you're on track.

See exactly where you stand — and where your trade can take you.

Join 127 apprentices already on the early access list.

You're not behind.You were just nevershown the map.

Why this feels harder than it should

On the drive home, this is where most apprentices start questioning everything.

Three things every apprentice deserves.None of them exist anywhere else.

See exactly where you stand on pay

See where your trade actually goes

Build proof that belongs to you

Your progress. Documented. Owned by you.

The career your employer probably never showed you.

What changes when you have clarity

You are here. Here's where it goes.

This trade can take you further than you've been told.

Mining Electrical

Automation Engineer

Estimator / Project Lead

Fire & Hydraulics Engineer

HV Linesman

Commercial Carpenter

Mechanical Services

Solar & Battery

Hazardous Area

I built the platform I neededwhen I was the apprentice questioning whether this was worth it.

Stop guessing whetheryou're on track.

You're not behind.
You were just never
shown the map.

Three things every apprentice deserves.
None of them exist anywhere else.

I built the platform I needed
when I was the apprentice questioning whether this was worth it.

Stop guessing whether
you're on track.