Can I Do an Apprenticeship as an Adult? Career Change to Skilled Trades
04 July 2025
As an adult, you may be wondering if there are NZ apprenticeships that are available for you. Engineering apprenticeships are excellent pathways for learners to gain new skills and step into new roles.
Are There Adult Engineering Apprenticeships In NZ?
The answer is quick and simple: Yes! You should always aim to learn new things and grow your skills, regardless of your age or experience. Engineering apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity for anyone to learn new essential skills.
At ATNZ, our courses have no upper age limit; anyone over the age of 16 is welcome to apply. We do our best to ensure our programmes are welcoming for everyone who’s interested in engineering and who meets our short list of requirements. In fact, we support learners of all backgrounds, races and genders and encourage anyone interested to reach out. We particularly welcome Pasifika, Maori and women learners to take the next step in their careers with our programmes.
We have no upper age limit for our programmes, we do not charge fees to our apprentices and there are no qualifications necessary to apply. This helps us ensure our apprenticeships are more accessible for potential engineers.
The basic requirements for most of our courses and programmes are:
Be at least 16 years old. Younger learners may be allowed if they’ve been granted an early leaving exemption.
Be an NZ citizen or permanent resident.
Please check the specific requirements of the particular programme you’re interested in before you apply.
What To Expect From Your Adult Engineering Apprenticeship In NZ
Our ATNZ apprenticeships cover various types of engineering, with most programmes being 48 months long:
Mechanical Engineering.
Engineering Fabrication.
Refrigeration And Air Conditioning.
Mechanical Building Services.
In addition to these categories, we also offer shorter courses, individual units and gateway metawork programmes.
You can expect the following with any of our programmes:
Mentorship. Making a career change can be a stressful and confusing process. Fortunately, you will have a dedicated ATNZ Account Manager to support you and oversee your training. Your Account Manager will visit you once a month to ensure your training is on track and is available on the phone when you need them.
Earning. Our apprentices pay no fees and you are paid for the work you do during your training. This alleviates financial pressure and lets you focus more on your work and less on money.
Hands-On Training. As an engineering apprentice, you’ll develop practical skills when working with tools and machinery to create and repair components.
Technical Learning. As well as on-the-job learning, you will need to do regular online learning. In many areas, there are study groups you can attend to help your progress, and all learners can attend any of our online study groups
Top Tips To Succeed As An Adult Engineering Apprentice
When starting your career change with NZ adult apprenticeships, keep the following in mind:
Acknowledge Your Limitations. It’s natural to want to appear knowledgeable and fully capable, but everyone has limitations and room to grow. Be open to admitting when you don’t know something, and work on learning and growing instead of staying in one place. Be sure you ask questions when you don’t know something, even if the question seems simple. We all start somewhere, and actively looking for ways to grow is a great way to start your career strong.
Accept Failure And Move On. You’re not going to get everything right all the time. If you ever have a slip-up, all you have to do is analyse your situation, understand where you went wrong, learn what you were supposed to do and move on. Every mistake is a chance to grow.
Collaborate With Others. Whether you’re talking to your account manager, your host company or employer, stay communicative and work well with others. Consider joining study groups, which are available in many areas and online.
Learning New Skills With NZ Adult Apprenticeships
To learn more, please visit our ATNZ website. Or, you can book a chat with us at .
