Rights and responsibilities
Employing an apprentice or trainee can be rewarding. It can strengthen your business by training people in skills that meet the needs of the business, while helping build the broader skills base needed to keep an industry strong.
After entering into a training contract and negotiating a training plan, employers have responsibilities to fulfil during an apprenticeship or traineeship.
General responsibilities
As an employer, you must:
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in discussion with the apprentice or trainee:
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choose an Australian Apprenticeships Centre
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choose a training organisation
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go through the induction information with the Australian Apprenticeships Centre, training organisation and the apprentice or trainee
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sign the training contract
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when the training contract has been completed and signed by all parties, send it to the Australian Apprenticeships Centre
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work with the training organisation to ensure that:
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the workplace has the range of work and facilities required for your training
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there is an acceptable number of tradespeople or qualified persons in the workplace
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you will be adequately supervised when you are in the workplace
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work with your apprentice or trainee and the training organisation to draw up the training plan
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deliver training to your apprentice or trainee as required in the training plan
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ensure your apprentice or trainee is adequately supervised in the workplace
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pay the wages and provide the entitlements as specified in the relevant employment agreement or award
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carry out an induction and all other obligations required of an employer, including those related to safety and fair treatment
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release your apprentice or trainee from work duties to participate in training delivered by the training organisation, as outlined in the training plan
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not terminate the employment of an apprentice or trainee unless the apprenticeship or traineeship is completed or training contract has been cancelled
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notify the department through Apprenticeships Info within 14 days of any of the following events taking place:
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amendment or cancellation of the training contract
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temporary assignment of the training contract (that is, an arrangement for the apprentice or trainee to work temporarily with another employer and receive training in required competencies)
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sale or disposal of the business
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dissolution or change of a business partnership
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if you believe that your apprentice or trainee is not making reasonable progress in the apprenticeship or traineeship
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if you believe that your apprentice or trainee will not complete their training within the timeframe shown in the training plan
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keep records and documents relevant to the apprenticeship or traineeship, which may include:
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the registration of apprenticeship or traineeship letter received from the department
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copy of the training contract
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copy of the training plan, updated, as required
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details of your apprentice's or trainee's attendance at training (provided by training organisation)
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all correspondence with the department.
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Employers of school-based apprentices and trainees who do not complete their apprenticeship or traineeship while at school, are required to convert the training contract to full-time or part-time when the apprentice or trainee completes their final day of school. The amendment of school-based training contract form [PDF, 107kb] can be used for this purpose.
Read more on the Employer responsibilities information sheet to learn more about when you should notify the department about certain events.
Wages and conditions for apprentices and trainees
Information about wages, conditions of employment, including tools, workers' compensation, superannuation and fair treatment and employer/employee responsibilities in regards to workplace safety and supervision is available from the Wages and conditions page in the Apprentices and Trainees section of this website.
More information:
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Responsibilities of the apprentice or trainee
Learn more about the responsibilities of the apprentice or trainee during the apprenticeship or traineeship. -
Who's who in apprenticeships and traineeships
Information about the different parties that may be involved in your apprenticeship or traineeship including the registered training organisations and Australian Apprenticeships Centres. -
Workplace health and safety
Call 1300 369 915 to access information about the safety responsibilities of employers and apprentices and trainees. -
Workers' compensation
Call WorkCover Queensland on 1300 362 128 for information about workers' compensation. -
Paying apprentices and trainees for time spent undertaking supervised training
Apprentices and trainees (not school-based) must be paid for the time they spend undertaking supervised training. -
Wages and entitlements
For information about apprenticeship and traineeship wages and entitlements contact Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or visit the Fair Work website.