One of the first Australian Technical College students to be signed up as an Australian School-based Apprentice is Jamie Davidson, a Year 13 student at Gladstone High School.
Jamie sought out and successfully completed work experience in the electrical field and was accepted as a school-based apprentice at an electrical firm in Wirrabara.
"This is going to be a good start. There is a big open field for me now," he said.
When asked why he chose to pursue being an electrician, he said: "I always liked playing around with computers and thought being an electrician would be a great career."
The college has three sites in the Spencer Gulf and Outback and the Port Pirie site, initially at the TAFE campus, is open.
The specialist college provides education alongside students' own schools to enable them to complete Year 11 and 12 with a trade focus.
The college supports students through both academic and trade training with mentoring, career advice and business employability skills.
"The college provides a great incentive for students to stay at school while pursuing a trade qualification," said the team leader in Port Pirie, Jenny Coe.
The Federal Govern-ment has acknowledged shortages in trade areas such as metals and engineering, automotive, build-ing and construction, electro-technology and hospitality.