Whether you are employing a new staff member or simply want to improve your existing employee’s skills and knowledge, Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships provide you with a flexible and inexpensive solution for all your employment and training needs.

It doesn’t matter how small or large your business is, Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships ensure you have the necessary skills to grow your business well into the future.

Why employ an Australian Apprentice or trainee...

› Investing in your staff reduces costs, workplace inefficiencies and staff turnover.
› Research shows that training improves staff motivation, loyalty, productivity and service quality.
› You get to choose the training provider, as well as have input into what content is provided, where the training is delivered and when it is undertaken.
› Your employees will receive training that has been developed specifically for industry.
› You may be eligible to receive Australian and State Government incentives.
› You can choose from over 600 qualifications, suiting all your employment and skills needs.
› Allow’s you to develop an important skills base for your business’ future.

What are Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships?

Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships combine practical work with structured training (on-the-job, off-the-job or a combination of both), providing both your new and existing employees with a nationally recognised qualification and practical hands on skills.

Australian Apprenticeships traditionally focus on tradebased industries, such as building and construction, cooking, automotive, hairdressing and engineering, while traineeships generally cover all other industries that do not require a trade certificate such as business, retail, hospitality, tourism,
information technology and many more.

How long does a qualification take to complete?

Full-time Australian Apprenticeships (Certificate III to V) normally take between 36 and 48 months to complete, while full-time traineeships (Certificate II to IV) normally take between 12 and 24 months. Australian School-based Apprenticeships and traineeships normally take twice as long to complete.

Australian School-based Apprentices will work towards completing the ‘first year’ of their Australian Apprenticeship over Years 11 and 12, while School-based trainees may be able to fully complete their traineeship over this same period.

The good news is that both Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships are now competency based. This means that the sooner your employee can gain the required skills and knowledge the sooner they can complete their qualification.

If your employee has gained additional experience through training, work experience or general life experiences, they may receive recognition of their prior learning, further reducing the time it takes them to complete their qualification.

What are my employment options?

You can employ an Australian Apprentice or trainee through any of the following employment arrangements:
› Full-time - traditionally 38 – 40 hours per week.
› Part-time - minimum of 15 hours per week or average of 60 hours per month.
› School-based - minimum of 48 days per year.

Note: Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships are not available for casual employees.

Benefits of employing Australian School-based Apprentices and trainees

Australian School-based Apprenticeships and traineeships:
› Provide you with a low cost and flexible helping hand, when you may not require a full-time employee.
› Give you the opportunity to see if the student will meet your future skills needs (i.e. ‘try before you buy’).
› May attract additional Government Incentives of up to $1,500.
› Allow you to employ the student normally for one set day per week, with the option of offering them extra hours after school, on weekends and during school holidays.

To qualify, the student must:
› Be attending school (generally Years 11 or 12).
› Be in paid employment for a minimum of 48 days/ year.
› Undertake some part of their qualification (i.e. either training or work) during school hours.

If the student completes their qualification while at school, you may be eligible to place them into an additional funded Australian Apprenticeship or traineeship qualification.

Choosing a suitable qualification

With over 600 Australian Apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications to choose from, you are certain to find one that suits your business’ needs. For comprehensive information on all available qualifications visit: www.deta.qld.gov.au/
1. Click on the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships’ tab.
2. Click on ‘Choose an apprenticeship or traineeship’ link.
3. Enter the name of the occupation or qualification in the search box and click on the ‘Search’ button.

Call 13 BUSY (13 28 79) if you require assistance.

Government Incentives and Allowances

To increase the take up of Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships, the Australian and State Governments provide a range of financial incentives and assistance.

<Click here> for avaiable incentives.

How much do I pay an Australian Apprentice or trainee?

In most cases, new employees can be paid a reduced training wage, which takes into account the time they spend in training, while existing employee wage conditions normally remain unchanged.

Australian School-based Apprentices and trainees are paid for productive time spent in the workplace, so you are not usually required to pay for time spent in off-the-job training, sick leave or holidays.

Due to the complex nature of industrial relations issues and the diverse range of award payments, you should contact either:
› Wageline on 1300 369 945 or visit wageline.qld.gov.au
› WorkChoices on 1300 363 264 or visit workchoices.gov.au

Choosing a training provider

Your training provider is responsible for developing the training plan, delivering the training, assessing your employee’s achievements and issuing the qualification on completion. They can either be public (i.e. TAFE) or private organisations who are registered to deliver accredited training.

Some training providers are funded by the Queensland Government under a ‘User Choice’ arrangement, which means they can provide the training at a subsidised cost. Alternatively, you can choose from a wider selection of unfunded training providers, who will deliver the training on a fee-for-service basis.

When choosing your training provider it is important to take into account: How much input you and your employee have in the content delivered.
When and where the training will take place.
› How often the training provider will visit you and provide feedback.
› What additional assistance they can provide you and your employee.
› How and when your Australian Apprentice or trainee will be assessed.
› How will the training be delivered.
› Whether the qualification will be funded under ‘User Choice’ or not.

Download Employer Brochures

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To view any of these brochures, simply click on the corresponding image.

A Guide for Employers

This guide covers everything an employer needs to know about employing an Australian Apprentice or trainee, including benefits, employment options, government incentives, costs and how to find an employee.

sacurrently being updated

Your A to Z guide

This guide lists all Australian Apprenticeships and traineeships currently available in Queensland.

currently being updated

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