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AUSTRALIA · JOB GUIDE
Trades assistant / TA jobs in Australia
You support a particular trade: prepare materials, organise equipment, help with assembly and keep the work area ready. A mechanical TA in a workshop and a carpenter’s assistant on a building site can have very different days. Read past the title.
Illustrative photo
This could suit you if…
You enjoy tools and practical problem-solving and want to support experienced tradespeople.
The trade-offs
Duties depend on the trade and your competence. An assistant role does not authorise licensed trade work, and some employers need prior experience.
What does the work involve?
The trade determines the job: a workshop TA may prepare components and organise parts; a site TA may carry materials and support installation.
Work follows someone else’s sequence. Careful measuring, labelling and keeping tools available can matter more than speed.
Will it fit my trip?
Ask whether the employer supplies tools and consumables before buying a kit. Some roles mainly need safe material handling; others expect you to arrive ready for particular tools.
Check whether the assignment moves between workshops and sites, and whether you need your own vehicle. A title alone does not tell you the physical demands or shift pattern.
What do I need before applying?
Construction placements need construction induction. Workshop placements may have different access requirements.
An assistant supports qualified tradespeople; the title does not authorise electrical, plumbing or other licensed trade work.
Which training is worth doing?
Construction induction / White Card
For construction duties, use your state regulator’s approved training route. The NSW page explains its process; other jurisdictions have their own delivery rules.
High-risk work training
Choose a registered provider for the licence class the role actually needs. Training and assessment are followed by the regulator’s licensing process.
TCP Training — White Card in Sydney
TCP’s published NSW White Card price is $119 (15 October 2026). Classroom courses run in Sydney and surrounding suburbs. A USI and original identification are required; session times appear in the booking calendar.
View course and booking details
TCP Training — White Card in Melbourne or Perth
TCP’s published White Card prices are $129 in Melbourne and $95 in Perth (15 October 2026). These are separate state course listings; the booking calendar supplies each venue and session.
View course and booking details
MultiSkills Training — work safely at heights
Victorian training option for roles that specifically require heights competence. It does not grant a scaffolding, dogging or rigging licence.
View course and booking details
Pinnacle — work safely at heights, Brisbane
Practical training in fall-prevention and fall-arrest equipment. Relevant when the job includes height work; it does not qualify you to erect scaffolding or perform licensed rigging. The provider’s location page lists booking availability.
View the Brisbane heights course
Priced Brisbane alternative: Harness Energy
RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights: one day, 8am–4:30pm, with Brisbane sessions listed at $265. Use this when height work is part of the job. It does not replace a high-risk work licence for scaffolding or rigging.
Harness Energy course and Brisbane dates · checked 23 October 2026.
Companies and application routes
Find employers and recruitment contacts below.
National projects and local offices
Protech
Civil, construction and industrial recruitment. Register interest or search openings; skilled positions and longer training programs have different entry conditions.
How do I put together a good application?
Search trades assistant alongside mechanical, fabrication, carpentry or maintenance to find the right setting.
List the tools and materials you have actually used, with examples. Distinguish paid experience, supervised practice and hobbies so the recruiter can judge your starting point.
How much does it pay?
WorkPac’s Wundowie workshop advert offers $37.37 an hour plus penalties for a casual trades-assistant / process-work role. The roster is Monday–Friday, 4 am–12:30 pm.
| Role / shift | Hourly pay |
|---|---|
| WorkPac, Wundowie — workshop / process duties | $37.37/hour + penalties |
Advert checked 17 October 2026. Manufacturing/process experience is relevant; foundry or heavy-industrial experience is highly regarded. Casual loading and super are not separately itemised in the advertised figure.
This is a workshop example, not a qualified tradesperson’s rate or a FIFO package. Its very early start is an important practical difference from an ordinary city day shift.
Sources and further reading
Hays Trades & Labour recruitment
Construction induction / White Card
Fair Work: find the applicable award
TCP Training — White Card in Sydney
TCP Training — White Card in Melbourne or Perth
MultiSkills Training — work safely at heights
Sources checked 17 October 2026.