First-year electrical apprentice tool list

The practical breakdown

Every first-year sparky needs a solid hand tool kit before anything fancy. Get the basics right, then add gear as the work demands it.

Do not rush out and buy a multimeter, voltage tester or insulation tester in week one. Testing energised circuits is licensed electrical work that must be done by, or under the direct supervision of, a licensed electrical worker, and in your first six months your supervisor has to stay within sight or earshot. Your employer will tell you what test gear to carry and when you are signed off to use it. Power tools, ladders and EWPs are almost always supplied by the employer too.

• •Insulated screwdrivers rated to 1000V: flat and Phillips, a few sizes of each
• •Side cutters and long nose pliers with insulated handles
• •Wire strippers or cable strippers, manual or automatic
• •A quality tape measure (5m or 8m) and a retractable knife
• •A head torch, since roof spaces and switchboards have no light
• •Steel-cap boots, ankle height, that you can wear all day
• •A tool pouch or belt to keep it all on you

Who supplies what: award, EBA and PPE

Here is the split nobody explains. If you are paid under the Electrical Award (MA000025), a tool allowance of just over $22 a week (as at July 2026) is built into your all-purpose rate, and apprentices get the full amount. That money exists because you are expected to provide and maintain your own hand tools. Check your pay slip and ask how it is applied.

On union EBA sites, mostly commercial and industrial work, the deal is usually different: the employer supplies or reimburses most tools, often through an annual tool allowance or a company kit. So what you need to buy out of pocket depends heavily on whether you land with a small domestic outfit or a commercial EBA employer. Ask before you spend.

PPE is not your cost either way. Under WHS law your employer must provide safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection and other PPE free of charge, and cannot deduct it from your pay. Plenty of sparkies still buy their own boots for comfort, but the legal duty to supply PPE sits with the boss.

Resi vs commercial vs industrial

• •Domestic and resi: you live in roof spaces, so a good head torch, a plasterboard saw and eventually fish tape or cable rods earn their keep. Kit tends to be your own, so the award tool allowance matters here.
• •Commercial: you cannot set foot on a construction site without a White Card (general construction induction training through an RTO), plus hi-vis and steel caps for site inductions. Many companies standardise on one battery platform, so never buy cordless gear before asking which brand the company runs.
• •Industrial and maintenance: lockout/tagout gear, test equipment and specialised tools are supplied by the employer. Your personal kit stays small, and the site dictates everything else.

Getting money back: rebates and tax

In WA, the Construction Training Fund's Apprentice Tool Allowance gives construction trade apprentices who commence between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2029 up to $1,000 back at commencement and another $1,000 at completion. You claim through the CTF Portal with your tax invoices, and commencement claims close 11 months after you start. Queensland's Free Tools for First Years rebate closed on 30 June 2025 when funds ran out, so do not count on it: check the current Queensland apprentice support page and apprenticeships.gov.au for what has replaced it. Other states have no direct tool rebate, though the interest-free Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan (AASL) is available nationally and can cover tools.

Then there is tax. Tools you buy for work are deductible: items costing $300 or less can be written off in full in the year you buy them, as long as they are not part of a set costing more than $300 in total. Items over $300 are claimed as depreciation over their effective life. You can only claim the work-related portion, and you cannot claim anything your employer supplied or reimbursed. No receipt usually means no claim, so photograph every docket the day you buy.

Trade school has its own list

Your TAFE or RTO will issue its own tool, PPE and textbook list at enrolment for the Cert III in Electrotechnology (UEE30820), and it is separate from what your employer wants on site. Most campuses require steel-cap boots, safety glasses and proper work wear for practical classes, plus textbooks, a calculator and sometimes a paid subscription (North Metropolitan TAFE, for example, charges $42 a year for its electrical evidence-tracking platform). Turn up to a workshop session without the required gear and you can be sent home and rescheduled. Read the 'apprentice requirements' or 'what to bring' page before your first block, not during it.

Protect your kit from theft

Tool theft is rampant: in Victoria alone, 36,708 tools worth $40.8 million were stolen in the year to June 2025. As your kit grows past the $1,000 mark, treat it like the income it is.

Insurance has traps. Most policies exclude tools left unattended in a vehicle overnight, which is exactly how most kits get stolen, and a standard home contents policy generally will not cover tools of trade once they are in your ute or on site. If your kit is worth real money, look at standalone tool insurance and read the overnight storage conditions before you pay.

• •Never leave your kit in the ute overnight; bring it inside or park in a locked garage
• •Engrave your name and licence number on tools; it kills resale value and helps police return them
• •Keep an inventory with photos, serial numbers and receipts, which doubles as your tax record

Common mistakes

• •Buying a full test kit before your employer says you need one
• •Buying cordless tools before asking which battery platform the company runs
• •Paying for your own safety glasses, gloves and hearing protection when your employer is legally required to supply them
• •Cheap non-insulated screwdrivers or pliers used near electrical work
• •Throwing out receipts, which you need for the WA tool allowance, the AASL and your tax return
• •Buying only for site and getting caught short at your first TAFE block

What to ask your supervisor

• •What hand tools do I need day one, and what does the company supply or reimburse?
• •Am I on the award or an EBA, and how is the tool allowance paid?
• •Which battery platform does the company run, and do I need a White Card before my first site?
• •When do I get signed off to test, and what test gear should I buy at that point?
• •Where do I find the TAFE tool and PPE list before my first block?