Frequently Asked Questions - Employers

Anyone can start an apprenticeship or traineeship if they are:

• over 18 years old, or have approval from a guardian if under 18
• an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• seeking an apprenticeship with full-time or part-time hours
• still at school (known as an Australian School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship, or ASbA).

Temporary residents and visa holders may be able to start an apprenticeship if they meet specific skills listed by the Department of Home Affairs.

An Australian School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship (ASbA) allows students in Years 10–12 to earn while they learn. They combine employment as an apprentice or trainee with training and school, getting a head start in a chosen career.

An ASbA allows students to:

• continue school and complete their Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE)
• earn a nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification at Certificate II or III level
• gain workplace experience in paid employment.

Students doing an ASbA must undertake at least 7.5 hours' paid employment per week during school term. During school holidays they're able to work extra hours.

More information is on the Department for Education, Children and Young People website.

The costs

• Wages. Apprentices and trainees are generally not as productive as experienced or qualified employees, and this is reflected in wage rates. Wages must be paid according to the appropriate industrial arrangement.
• Training costs.
• Time spent training the apprentice or trainee.
• Other costs and entitlements, similar to qualified or new employees in your business.

The support

Your business may qualify for financial support if you hire an apprentice or trainee. Read more about the financial support on offer at Australian Apprenticeships, or use the Incentives Explorer to see what you can claim.

Apprentice Connect Providers, formerly known as Australian Network Providers, give free information, advice, and support to employers, apprentices, and trainees. They're contracted by the Australian Government as part of the Australian Apprenticeships Support Services.

Services they provide include:

• information and guidance on how to become an apprentice or trainee, or recruit one
• advice on the qualifications available
• how to complete and lodge the training contract
• determining your eligibility for Australian Government incentives
• processing incentive payments to employers, apprentices, and trainees where applicable
• monitoring the progress of the apprenticeship or traineeship.

Providers are also your first point of contact for free and confidential advice if you're part of a training contract and are experiencing problems.

Skills Tasmania also offers a Workforce Training Consultancy service for learners or employers seeking advice and assistance.

Providers operating in Tasmania

Generalist providers:

• Mas National — 1300 627 628
• ASA — 1300 363 831

Specialist provider, focusing on women in male-dominated trades and apprenticeships working towards clean energy occupations:

• BUSY At Work — 13 28 79

Other providers may service national employers. Check the Australian Apprenticeships website if the provider you're looking for isn't listed.

There are certain roles and obligations that a party to a training contract must fulfil. These are detailed in the training contract and explained when you sign up an apprentice or trainee.

The Tasmanian Traineeship and Apprenticeship Committee (TTAC) also sets policies and guidelines covering each stage of the training contract: administering it, entering into it, progressing through it, and ending it. These contain the rules you must follow, and set out where there's flexibility to vary a contract.

Your obligations as an employer include:

• employing the apprentice or trainee on an appropriate employment arrangement
• following the training plan, including undertaking any training and assessment activities
• providing access to the full range of work required to develop competencies in all aspects of their job and complete their qualification
• providing access to the full range of tools and equipment commonly used by skilled workers in that industry
• providing a suitably qualified or experienced person to instruct and supervise them
• working with the Registered Training Organisation to support their progress
• letting your Apprentice Connect Provider or Skills Tasmania know if problems relating to the training contract occur.

Some qualifications require intensive periods of block training (usually a two-week period) at a TasTAFE campus. This ensures your staff develop relevant skills and meet national accreditation requirements. It's also a great way to expose them to a broad range of mentors and grow their industry networks.

TasTAFE will work closely with you to minimise disruption to your business, and can negotiate suitable periods for training to occur.

Travel and accommodation contributions are available to Tasmanian apprentices and trainees who need to travel, within Tasmania or interstate, to attend training with their Registered Training Organisation. These contributions help with the cost but may not cover it in full, and are only available to apprentices and trainees on a training contract registered in Tasmania.

Students may also be able to access on-site accommodation at TasTAFE's Alanvale (Launceston), Burnie, and Clarence (Hobart) campuses.

In some cases, the skills and knowledge your apprentice has gained through work experience, life experience, previous study, or training may be formally recognised. This can help them complete their qualification sooner.

TasTAFE staff work closely with apprentices to identify how their existing skills and prior learning relate to their training. Where appropriate, they can also assist with formal recognition of prior learning or credit transfer.

As every apprentice's experience and background is different, this is assessed case by case. We encourage apprentices to speak with Client Central at their local TasTAFE campus, or with their teachers, when they begin training.