Our History

In 1995 the Employment and Training Field Officer (ETFO) programme was formed under the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI - now known as Commerce Queensland). The ETFO programme was funded by Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) to create job vacancies in the areas of apprenticeships and traineeships.

 

By March 1997, 20 pilot Apprenticeship and Traineeship Centres called Contracted Entry Level Training Agency’s (CELTA's) were trialled throughout Australia, with three Centres designated to Queensland. One of these Centres was set up by QCCI and was appropriately named the QCCI Apprenticeships and Traineeships Centre, with an office in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, servicing all industry sectors.

 

The QCCI Apprenticeships and Traineeships Centre included existing staff from the ETFO programme as well as staff from the Department of Employment, Training and Industrial Relations (DETIR) and staff from the soon to be defunct Commonwealth Employment Services (CES). This small, but dedicated team were responsible for providing apprenticeships and traineeships support services to small, medium and largest businesses in the Brisbane/Gold Coast regions.

 

It was not until May 1998 that Queensland Apprenticeship Services was officially established, when the CES was broken up and it's core activities outsourced to Australian Apprenticeship Centres and Job Network Providers. With an initial staff of 13, Queensland Apprenticeship Services quickly grew taking on redundant CES staff members and additional employees to meet the growing needs of Queensland business.

 

From 1998 to March 2007, Queensland Apprenticeship Services expanded across the state, operating through 21 metropolitan and regionally based offices, from Roma in the West to Thursday Island in the Far North. 

 

Currently QAS services North and North West Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands, with 3 regional offices in Cairns, Townsville and Mount Isa. The QAS head office and Service Centre is located in Brisbane.

 

Queensland Apprenticeship Services is a business unit of Commerce Queensland (formerly QCCI) and is contracted by the Australian Government to deliver apprenticeship and traineeship support services to employers, current and potential apprentices and trainees and the community, as part of the Chamber's commitment to employment, education and training.