Young Queenslanders undertaking school-based apprenticeships and traineeships are playing a part in alleviating an Australia-wide skills shortage.
Queensland leads the nation in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships with more than 40 per cent of the national total, and with the commencement this year of compulsory 'learning or earning' after Year 10, the number of students selecting school-based apprenticeships and traineeships is expected to increase.
Director Strategic Implementation Branch in the Department of Education, Training and the Arts, Steve Armitage, says Queensland students are recognising the benefi ts of completing an apprenticeship or traineeship while they are at school.
"A school-based apprenticeship or traineeship is a combination of school study, training and paid employment, which will contribute toward a Senior Certificate or, from 2008, a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)," Mr Armitage says.
"While students are undertaking a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship they continue to go to school and can work towards an Overall Position (OP) Score.
"It can be a good choice for young people wanting to gain skills and experience that they cannot acquire in schoolbased subjects, and can lead to further education, including university or TAFE, or entry into the workforce after Year 12."
Flagstone State Community College has been offering schoolbased apprenticeships and traineeships for the past three years and this year has 43 students enrolled in the program.
Krystal Jenkins, pictured left, a Year 11 student at the college, commenced a Certificate III in Information Technology at the start of Term 1 and says the skills she is acquiring can be adapted to almost any work environment.
"I am really enjoying my school-based traineeship as it gives me the freedom to combine school with work and explore possible career opportunities while still at school," she says.
"It also gives me hands-on experience as well as an opportunity to earn while I 'm learning."
For Krystal choosing the traineeship field was easy.
"Nearly every form of employment today includes some IT element directly or indirectly and my traineeship is giving me the foundations for the future."
Training officer at Flagstone State Community College, Ruth Bishop, says school-based apprenticeships and traineeships provide students with a sense of the world of work, basic skills, life skills and responsibility.
Additionally, students learn time management as they juggle school, TAFE, work and a social life.
A love of the land and lifestyle prompted David Groves to take up a horticulture traineeship as a Year 10 student at Yeppoon State High School.
Three years on, he is a full-time employee at a horticultural company and in 2008 is hoping to secure a scholarship to study in Brazil.
"Studying horticulture overseas will allow me to further develop my skills and acquire knowledge that ican bring back and adapt to my current working environment," David says.
"Completing a traineeship while at school was the best education decision I have made. I've got my OP and a Certificate III which ican build on and a nationally parents recognised qualification.
"I also gained a foothold into the horticultural industry before I left school.
"For me, participating in a traineeship was extremely successful and I learnt a lot.
"By the time I'd finished I had a definite direction for my future, something I didn't have before. I also had a nationally recognised qualification.
David, pictured above, was one of nearly 3000 schoolbased apprentices and trainees across the state to complete Year 12 last year.
"During the course of my traineeship I had tremendous support from my teachers, especially Mr Brian Fisher who is the Vocational Training Officer at Yeppoon State High School," he says.
While school-based apprenticeships and traineeships are designed for students in Years 11 and 12, students in Year 10 may also be considered under exceptional circumstances.
All school-based apprentices and trainees must have an individual training plan which outlines the skills they will need to become qualified in their chosen field. It includes an Education, Training and Employment Schedule, which lists the times and hours of schooling, training and/or paid work.
Students wishing to find more information about an apprenticeship or traineeship are encouraged to contact Apprenticeships Info. A new initiative of the State Government, the hotline has been established to support apprentices and employers and help them access information easily about training and the workplace.
The hotline is staffed by trained consultants who will answer questions on a wide range of topics such as how to become, or employ an apprentice, contracts, rights and responsibilities and training providers.
To contact the Apprenticeships Info hotline telephone 1800 210 210, visit the website 
or email.
An apprentice is trained in a skilled trade and after completion will become a qualified tradesperson such as an electrician, plumber, automotive mechanic or chef.
A trainee is someone being trained in a vocational area such as office administration, information technology and hospitality.
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© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment) 2008.