3rd Year carpentry apprentice, Josh, is taking steps to advance his career beyond his apprenticeship.
Originally from Ballarat, Victoria I moved to Brisbane in 2019 to study Theology. After a short while I discovered uni wasn’t for me. I left my studies and began working as a removalist until a client, who liked my work ethic, offered me an apprenticeship.
The best thing about my apprenticeship is doing something I love. Each day I do something different and at the end of the day I get to look back and see the tangible result of my hard work.
The construction industry can have some harsh (Old School) people in it but a lot of those old ways of thinking and doing things have changed as the industry has grown and evolved. Gone are the days where bosses are always hard and cracking onto their boys all the time.
I also run a business called Brisbane Southside Handyman. I perform maintenance and repair work on anything related to a house. For example, painting, plastering, concreting and carpentry. But I'm always open to new challenges and work. Recently, I installed a door on a boat for a client.
What I like about Inscope Training is that I can come into their Training Centre and put into practice the theory I've learnt. Coming from a different training provider that did not do in-house training really makes me appreciate what Inscope does.
I’m already thinking of my future and have enrolled in a Cert IV in Building & Construction. I hope for a future that is less on tools and more in the management field. I'd still like to be onsite, so maybe as an inspector or builder?
This article is part of the Inscope Training Student Profile Series. Contact us if you are interested in learning more about the trade apprenticeship training, we deliver in Queensland and New South Wales.

Contact Us

Inscope Training has won the Education and Training category at the Redlands Business Excellence Awards.
Now in its 5th year, the Redlands Business Excellence Awards shines the spotlight on Redland Coast businesses that display excellence in business, leadership, customer service or community.
Inscope Training was recognised for providing quality educational opportunities to more than 780 apprentices and thousands of short course students throughout Queensland, as well as contributing to the Redland Coast economy with its head office and Brisbane Training Centre in Capalaba.
Inscope Training CEO Chris Marsh said the win was unexpected considering our competition, so we are extremely proud of this achievement.
"We are extremely proud and humbled to take home the 2023 Redlands Business Excellence Awards for Education and Training!", he said.
During his acceptance speech, Mr Marsh, thanked the Redland Coast Chamber of Commerce and sponsors for recognising Inscope's value.
“Thanks to the (Redland Coast) Chamber of Commerce for recognising that we are making a valued contribution to the local economy.”
“Outside of the value that we provide our students, we are extremely proud and humbled that we have been able to bring value to the local community as well.”
“Also, thanks to the sponsors, Mark Robinson MP.”

Mr Marsh acknowledged that Inscope's growth and value to students and the community is due to the dedication of its staff.
“At Inscope, we're pretty blessed to have such dedicated and enthusiastic staff to make all that we do possible", he said.
“We moved the business to Capalaba in 2019. We had a small number of apprentices enrolled with us. Since then, we've grown our apprentice training to over 780 students across Queensland.”
“So, thanks to all our staff that made that possible.”
As Inscope continues to grow, Mr Marsh is excited about its future prospects.
“The most exciting thing for us, I guess, is that we are only just getting started”, he said.
“There's no ceiling in the RTO sector, so we will continue to grow and add to our services.”
“Our Capalaba Training Centre will remain our central hub and we look forward to the Redlands community sharing our journey with us.”
Inscope Training looks forward to continued growth and success in the Redlands community and beyond.
For enquiries, call 1300 579 808 or email

A carpentry trade isn't a traditional career path for most women, but for 2nd year apprentice Alanna, it ticked all the boxes.
Carpentry wasn’t my first choice straight out of school. When leaving school, I felt pressured to go straight to uni, so I applied and was accepted into a criminology and justice degree. I stuck with that for a semester before changing to a business degree. After a year, I realised uni wasn’t my thing and I needed something more physical.
It made sense for me to give carpentry a go because my father was a chippy. It was the trade I knew most about. As a child, I enjoyed making things out of timber off cuts with my Dad while at his work.
I work for Fifth & Co. based in Brisbane’s Southside, constructing new builds and renovations. A typical day for me as an apprentice is helping the boys with tasks, cutting timber for them, or working together to build wall frames, stand trusses and put-up steel. Sometimes I am given tasks like fitting windows to complete on my own and test my abilities and memory.
Some weekends I help my dad out with building staircases for his work. This is something that my company does not do, so it provides me with a great learning experience.
The thing I like most about my job is seeing a piece of land turn into a beautiful home with the help of different trades. As well as renovating homes to make them safer, brighter, or give them a new look.
Lifting materials and equipment is the hardest part of my job. I have been working on my strength by hitting the gym after work. Strength takes time, so what felt heavy a year ago doesn’t feel as heavy now, so I know it can only improve.
"Training with Inscope Training has allowed me to do all of my training on-site while still having the opportunity to go to the Training Centre if I wish.
They regularly check in with me, answer all my questions and stop by the job site to discuss improvements or commend my efforts."
In 5-10 years, I see myself as a qualified carpenter either working for a company or having my own with a focus on finished work such as decks, fix-outs, stairs, furniture, renovations, and makeovers. These are the jobs I enjoy the most and am best at.

This article is part of the Inscope Training Student Profile Series. Contact us if you are interested in learning more about the trade apprenticeship training, we deliver in Queensland and New South Wales.
Contact Us
After the success and positive feedback from Inscope apprentice students from the July session, we are pleased to offer more dates for the Mates Apprentice Resilience Program.
This free program is a fantastic opportunity to support your apprentice’s wellbeing and exceed your WH&S obligations.
Mates Apprentice Resilience program was developed based on recommendations from the 2020 Australian Institute for Suicide and Prevention and Griffith University report that identified that apprentices and young workers in the construction industry are overrepresented in the incidence and impact of bullying and mental health, and are at higher risk of suicide.
The program covers skill development in:
- Resilience and Self-care,
- Workplace Bullying,
- Workplace Rights,
- Financial Management,
- Alcohol and Other Drugs, and;
- Suicide and Mental Health.

We are pleased to announce as of 1 July 2023 Inscope Training will offer CPC31220 Certificate III in Wall and Ceiling Lining training to plastering apprentices located in NSW.
This training will be subsidised by the NSW Government Smart and Skilled program.
As part of this agreement, Inscope Training will help address the skills gap by delivering industry-relevant training that meets the evolving needs of both employers, apprentices and the industry.
NSW trade businesses and apprentices will benefit from our customised and accessible approach to training. We blend online theory with onsite practical training and assessment, giving apprentices more time working onsite, and training with us when and where it suits them and their employer.
The Smart and Skilled program began in 2015 and has been effective in delivering training in key qualifications and geographic and occupational areas. The last time registered training organisations (RTOs) had a broad opportunity to enter Smart and Skilled was in 2017.
Contact us for an obligation-free discussion on how our flexible and quality plastering apprentice training can work for you.
Contact Us
The NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled program provides eligible students with quality fee free vocational training and education. This program has become instrumental in meeting the increasing demand for skilled workers in priority industries within the state.
Inscope Training has invited Mates in Construction to deliver their Mates Apprentice Resilience Program to Inscope Training apprentice students.
This free program is a fantastic opportunity to support your apprentice’s wellbeing and exceed your WH&S obligations.
Mates Apprentice Resilience program was developed based on recommendations from the 2020 Australian Institute for Suicide and Prevention and Griffith University report that identified that apprentices and young workers in the construction industry are overrepresented in the incidence and impact of bullying and mental health, and are at higher risk of suicide.
The program covers skill development in:
- Resilience and Self-care,
- Workplace Bullying,
- Workplace Rights,
- Financial Management,
- Alcohol and Other Drugs, and;
- Suicide and Mental Health.

The amendment to the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act) to include a prohibition on sexual harassment, came into effect on 6 March 2023.
The amendment protects workers, prospective workers and persons conducting or undertaking a business from sexual harassment.
Under these changes, employers could be vicariously liable for sexual harassment of their workers, unless an employer can demonstrate they took “all reasonable steps to prevent the conduct from occurring”.
One reasonable step to protecting yourself and your workers is to provide appropriate training. Our Sexual Harassment in the Workplace awareness course is 100% self paced online and defines what is sexual harassment in the workplace, the legal liability and responsibilities, the impact of sexual harassment, and what it means to be an active bystander.

The information provided in this article is a general guide only. Refer to the QBCC website for detailed and up to date information.
Once you successfully complete your trade apprenticeship, you’ve become a qualified tradesperson and no longer an apprentice. However, to perform work over $3300 in value in Queensland, you must either work for an employer with a Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) licence or apply for your own QBCC licence.
There are many different QBCC licenses but generally the first step after finishing a carpentry, painting, tiling and lining apprenticeship is a Trades Contractors licence (Note: Trades such as plumbing, electrical and gas require a special licence.)
A Trade Contractors licence allows the individual or company to enter into contracts directly with a property owner, builder, principal contractor or developer. A trade contractor licensee can engage qualified people in the same trade class as their own licence, or engage and supervise unlicensed contractors. They can also subcontract to a builder.
To apply for a Trade Contractors licence you need:

Providing and and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for yourself and your workers, volunteers, customers and visitors is not only the law, it has some added benefits including:
- improved health and wellbeing.
- greater productivity.
- increased job satisfaction.
- greater work participation and increased social inclusion.
- increased individual, team and organisational resilience.
- lower absenteeism rates.
- less workplace injury and workers' compensation claims.
There are many factors to take into consideration when meeting your obligations to provide a safe workplace with one of the most important being employee training.

Identifying Electrical Hazards in the Workplace
This article shares some information about Inscope's Electrical Safety Awareness course and how you can keep safe or how a business can keep their staff safe from electrical hazards in the workplace.
On average fifteen people die every year in Australia from electrical accidents in the workplace. The most common reasons for these deaths include:
- Lack of training or supervision
- Incorrect work practices
- Lack of maintenance
- A hazardous workplace environment
- Faulty or damaged electrical equipment
- Unauthorised repairs on electrical equipment
There are some simple tasks you can undertake to identify electrical hazards in the workplace to protect yourself and your co-workers:
WHSQ has issued a Safety Alert for Fit Testing respirators
The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 highlights the importance of fit testing for tight-fitting respirators for workers who need to use them.
While the Regulator outlines the requirements for persons who carry out fit test, i.e. they must have:
Inscope Training provides high quality training for fitting and testing RPE for a competitive fee of $35.
There is now no reason for any company or workers in Australia not to do this course - Wearing, Fitting & Checking Masks
If you require your workers to undertake this training don't hesitate to contact us for group discounted fees.

22-28 November 2021 is National Asbestos week. This year's campaign asks Australians to Think Twice About Asbestos. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness amongst the public and key trades about the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos fibres. Asbestos is still present in millions of homes, as well as public and commercial buildings across Australia. In homes built before 1990, asbestos can still be found anywhere, affecting 1 in 3 homes nationwide.
Asbestos fibres can pose a risk to health if airborne, as inhalation is the main way that asbestos enters the body causing mesothelioma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, laryngeal cancer, asbestosis, COPD, pleural plaques, pleural thickening, pleural effusion and atelectasis. The use of asbestos is prohibited in Australia. Building materials supplier USG Boral earlier this month discovered “low levels” of asbestos in products it had imported from China causing the temporary close down of the Brisbane Queens Wharf project (McLeod 2021; Dennis 2021).
This article shares some information about Inscope's Asbestos Awareness course and how you can keep safe or how your business can keep your staff safe from Asbestos exposure in the workplace.
Here at Inscope Training we are proud of our reputation as a provider of high-quality training to the Australian trades industries so we obviously use the most up-to-date technology and learning resources.
As most would probably be aware quite a few of the units in the new CPC packages require students to review, amend and/or create JSA and SWMS’s.
This process can be quite onerous for students to create and for trainers to mark, so as usual, the crew at Ammonite used their experience and cutting edge technical skills to create a free SWMS/JSA Generator to make these activities valid, intuitive, and to provide students with the tools and skills they need to survive.
The tool is available here.
Of course, they also provide a short instructional video on how to use the tool.
The national workspace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica has been halved from an eight hour time-weighted average airborne concentration of 0.1 milligrams per cubic metre (mg/m3) to 0.05 mg/m3.


P2/N95 Disposable Respirator Training
Inscope Training is pleased to announce our new P2/N95 Disposable Respirator Training Awareness course!
The mission for the creators of this course is the provide best practice awareness around the correct selection, fitting and maintenance of respiratory protection equipment, in particular P2 masks..
This course has been developed to provide learners with an understanding of how to choose the right mask and protect themselves against particulates (including airborne viruses).
This course has been developed inline with Australian and New Zealand standards.
The P2/N95 disposable respirator training course is split into 6 modules and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
- Employer and Employee Obligations and Requirements
- Respirator Selection
- Fitting the Respirator.
- Performing a Fit Check on the Respirator
- Wearing and Removing the Respirator
- Respirator Limitations
Companies and employers can make this course available to their employees and contractors by adding it to their personalised Inscope Training landing page. This saves the hassle of chasing people for their certificates and makes the invoicing / payment a breeze.
To commence If you want to set up a personalised landing page for your company, just call us on 1300 579 808 - it only takes a few minutes.
Contact Us
- Contact Us
- Address:19-21 Neumann Road Capalaba 4157
- Email: admin@inscope.edu.au
- Phone: 1300 579 808
- Hours: Mon to Fri - 7.30am to 5:00pm AEST
Social media
Policies
Apprentice Training Funding

Popular Short Courses
- White Card
- White Card - QLD
- White Card - TAS
- White Card - WA
- White Card - NSW
- Contractors Business Management
- EWP up to 11m
- LVR- Rescue from a live LV panel
- CPR - Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
- Asbestos Awareness
- Alcohol and Other Drugs In The Workplace
- Manual Handling Awareness
- Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
- Silica Dust Safety Awareness