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There are six easy steps to employ an Australian Apprentice:

Step 1
Seek out your prospective Australian Apprentice employee. This can be done through a Group Training Company, the Job Network , job sites on the internet, advertising in the newspaper, your usual company selection processes, or other sources. School students should also check Australian School Based Apprenticeships.

Step 2
Commence employment of your selected Australian Apprentice.

Step 3
Choose an Australian Apprenticeships Centre that will help you complete a Training Contract and choose the right qualification and an RTO to deliver it.  The Training Contract can commence on the same day that employment commences or can commence at a later date.  Australian Apprentices who have been employed less than 3 months full time or 12 months part time equivalent at the time of signing a Training Contract are classified as new employees (those employed longer than this are classified as existing employees). 

Step 4
Lodge the Training Contract for approval through the Australian Apprenticeships Centre you have chosen and receive a copy from them.

Step 5
Negotiate and sign a Training Plan with the Registered Training Organisation (link to Registered Training Organisations) you have selected to provide the training for your Australian Apprentice.

Step 6
Organise and continuously take part in the workplace component of the structured training through to completion of the qualification. This involves and ensures assessment and validation of competence in the workplace.

In the ACT, you can enter a Training Contract if your employee is:

• in paid work in the ACT
• at least 15 years old
• an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand passport holder resident for more than 6 months
• not a casual employee or self-employed (sub-contractor)
• supervised by a suitably qualified person who is permanently employed at the same workplace and predominantly for the same hours as the Australian Apprentice.

In the ACT, you can enter a Training Contract if your employee:

• undertakes a minimum of 15 hours combined work and training per week (minimum of 11 hours and maximum of 20 hours for an Australian School Based Apprentice
• undertakes an approved Australian Apprenticeships qualification with an approved Registered Training Organisation

Once Training and Tertiary Education Directorate (TaTE) of the ACT Department of Education and Training approves your Training Contract they advise your Registered Training Organisation (RTO) if they are eligible to receive funding for your employees training.