Information for employers

Support for employers managing an apprentice or trainee

There can be several aspects to consider including the terms and conditions of the training contract with your apprentice or trainee, State and/or national regulatory requirements, commercial arrangements and information about the right course, qualification or apprenticeship or traineeship for your business needs.

Explore information to assist you or your staff with a successful apprenticeship or traineeship.

  • We can assist you to understand and navigate the different aspects of the training system.
  • Contact us if you would like further information or assistance about a training contract or resolving an issue with your apprentice or trainee.

An overview of key resources and agencies is available below:

If you are considering employing an apprentice or trainee for the first time, or you are a current registered employer, we can assist you to achieve a successful apprenticeship outcome.

Apprenticeships and Traineeships are under a training contract agreed to by:

  • a trainee or apprentice (a parent or guardian may also be a party to the contract if the apprentice or trainee is under 18)
  • a registered employer
  • a Registered Training Organisation (to develop an agreed Training Plan).

To employ an apprentice or trainee you must be a registered employer. This means that you must be registered with the South Australian Skills Commission.

A step-by-step guide on how to employ an apprentice or trainee is available:

Need assistance? We can provide you with information about:

  • Who does what under an apprenticeship or traineeship
  • How to find out about financial assistance and access wage advice
  • What you need to know about employing an apprentice / trainee
  • Independent help and support available to you to deal with any problems that occur during the life of the training contract both on and off-the-job.

Employer registration

We aim to help you to have a positive training experience and a successful apprenticeship, so when employing a trainee or apprentice, these are some of the key points and resources to consider:

Training Contract

  • check the probationary period for the training contract as this may differ from other employee arrangements
  • are you aware there are different rules to cancel the training contract outside of the probationary period?
  • do you know how to make changes to your training contract, such as extensions?
  • have you talked to the prospective apprentice or trainee about whether they have any prior experience or formal qualifications?
  • make sure you know your obligations to supervise and train an apprentice or trainee on-the-job and have processes in place to manage their performance under the training contract

Helpful Resources:

Industrial Arrangements

  • know your employer responsibilities in relation to wages, entitlements, payslips, superannuation and WHS
  • have you checked your Award or industrial agreement to know your obligations for the payment of training fees for apprentices and trainees?
  • help your apprentice or trainee to understand your local workplace practices, such as how to apply for leave, use of business equipment and what to expect during the apprenticeship or traineeship

More Information:

Course Requirements

  • have you talked to the Nominated Training Organisation (NTO) about your role in monitoring and supporting your apprentice or trainee?
  • have you all agreed to the Training Plan?
  • discuss with your apprentice or trainee how their course of study will be assessed by the training organisation, whether in the classroom or in your workplace.

Our services include:

  • dispute resolution services and negotiation to help resolve disputes between your business, a training provider or an apprentice or trainee to support training contract completions
  • tailored advice on how to deal with problems that might arise from a training program, including training associated with an apprenticeship or traineeship
  • information about the South Australian Employment Tribunal (SAET) process for traineeships and apprenticeships if an issue cannot be resolved.

If you have an issue with your apprentice or trainee, please try resolving directly with them first. If you are unable to resolve, we can provide support.

Where a resolution cannot be achieved, all parties to the training contract may be referred to the South Australian Employment Tribunal.

support for employers Lodge a dispute

Did you know that there are State and national awards for businesses to be recognised for high level achievement and their contribution to the training sector, including:

  • Either party to a training contract can make an application to SAET if there is a dispute between the parties, or one of the parties has a grievance.
  • Visit the SAET website for more information.
  • Before lodging an application to SAET, contact the South Australian Skills Commission who may be able to help resolve your issue.

Support for employers

Has your apprentice or trainee achieved competency in the workplace and completed the training component of their qualification?

You can now apply to formally complete their traineeship or apprenticeship.

How to apply

You can apply to complete a traineeship or apprenticeship when:

  • you agree competency has been achieved in the workplace, and
  • the nominated training organisation certifies they have completed the qualification specified in the training contract.

Hint: Make sure the training provider’s certification matches the qualification that’s set out in the training contract. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to apply for a change of qualification first.

Access mySkillsSA

To apply, as the employer, sign in to mySkillsSA and complete an application.

Or you and the apprentice or trainee can complete the Training Contract Completion Application form (PDF) and email to the South Australian Skills Commission.

Prepare to celebrate

The South Australian Skills Commission will let you know if your application was successful. For apprentices, their Trade Certificate will be issued and sent to the address listed in application.

How can we support you?

Our role is to provide a free and confidential advisory service to employers.

​We can provide information about:

  • obligations of employers, apprentices or trainees in South Australia
  • the terms and conditions of a training contract, including access to resources and guides to assist you in the workplace
  • how and where to get started if you are considering employing an apprentice or trainee
  • how and where to locate course information
  • what financial assistance may be available to your staff
  • conflict resolution and workplace mentoring
  • complaint and dispute resolution services

Get support

Know your obligations as an employer

When hiring an apprentice, you have certain responsibilities and obligations. You will enter into a training contract, which is a legally binding agreement to work and train together until your apprentice has completed their training and you both agree they are competent in the skills required for their trade or vocation.

Apprentices need to train under the supervision of qualified and experienced workers. Supervision requirements are outlined in the South Australian Skills Standard.

Some apprentices or trainees need more supervision than others. To make sure that all apprentices or trainees are adequately supervised, employers must not exceed the supervision ratios that apply to them.

Each apprenticeship and traineeship has been assessed as either high, medium or low risk for supervision.

Employers are responsible for supervising and ensuring oversight and coordination of on-job training of an apprentice or trainee. On-job training must be by a skilled or qualified person in the competencies laid out in the agreed Training Plan. The work should be work relevant and appropriate to the trade or declared vocation.

If an employer delegates or assigns the responsibility of supervising or providing on-job training to any staff member (or contractor), the employer must make sure they understand and adhere to the requirements of the standard.

Learn more Skills Standards

Help is available to resolve problems or disputes with your apprentice or trainee. For the most part, training is a positive experience for both employers and apprentices, but occasionally, disagreements or disputes may arise between you and your apprentice.

Problems in a training contract are easier to resolve when they’re dealt with as soon as possible. It’s important that employers try to resolve the issue with their apprentice directly before referring the matter further.

If you’re unable to resolve the matter with your apprentice, we can provide help to find a resolution.

Support for employers Lodge a dispute Contact us

Whilst we want to see all training contracts fulfilled successfully for the employer, apprentice or trainee, we recognise that sometimes contracts can be terminated when a more suitable option would be to temporarily suspend the contract.

A suspension is a temporary postponement of a training contract for a period of time agreed by both the apprentice/trainee and the employer with a view to the parties completing the training contract.

The South Australian Skills Commission will assess and either approve or decline an application for training contract suspension. It is important to know that suspension must be a last resort.

Examples of when a suspension may occur:

  • for business related reasons such as re-structuring or re-location of the business
  • for non-business-related reasons where the application is mutually agreed, and the apprentice or trainee cannot be transferred to another employer
  • the business is sold or has a significant downturn

To apply for a suspension, an application form must be completed with information and support documents provided.

It is your responsibility as an employer, to comply with the South Australian Skills Regulations 2021, and the South Australian Skills Standards. More information can be found in the link below on what you need to know, and why.

visit regulations and standards

Probationary periods are different depending on the type and level of qualification your apprentice or trainee is completing. For more information, visit South Australian Skills Standard 8.

All Skills Standards

In most cases as an employer, you provide on-the-job training to your apprentices and trainees, while the Nominated Training Organisation (NTO) provides off-the-job training.

To ensure your business is ready to give apprentices relevant on-the-job training, we need to check it has:

  • appropriate facilities, equipment and experienced supervisors to support training and supervision of apprentices in line with the training plan
  • relevant work appropriate to the vocation and to the successful completion of the qualification in the training contract.

Employers will need to release apprentices and trainees to attend off job training, paying their wage while they’re training, and their training fees.

Make changes to a training contract

Find out how you can make changes to a training contract, including all the necessary information and forms by calling the South Australian Skills Commission on 1800 673 097.

Download forms