Register to employ an apprentice

Know your responsibilities

When you employ an apprentice, you have a duty of care to your employee.

To make sure you and your apprentice or trainee are both set up for success and you are compliant with legislation, all employers are required to be registered with the South Australian Skills Commission.

It's your responsibility to deliver the training they need to become competent in their chosen career.

A traineeship or apprenticeship starts when a training contract has been approved by the South Australian Skills Commission.

In South Australia, there are obligations as part of the training contract that employers must meet when delivering training.

Get registered

By law, to employ a trainee or apprentice in South Australia, your business needs to be registered.

To get registered, you will need to complete an Employer Registration Application via my Skills SA.

About the application

The Employer Registration Application involves providing your business:

  • ABN and legal entity details
  • contact details, including nominating a primary contact person
  • worksites where trainees or apprentices will receive on-the-job training
  • the scope of work, experience and qualifications your business can offer

Prior to submitting your application, you will complete a declaration confirming that you can provide appropriate employment, supervision and training.


Employer registration guide

Explore what you need when applying to employ trainees or apprentices.

Once submitted, the South Australian Skills Commission will let you know the outcome of your application via email.

Approved employers will be added to the South Australian Skills Register.

Accessing mySkillsSA

To start your application, you will need to sign up to mySkillsSA. You must be authorised to act on behalf of the organisation before proceeding.

What is mySkillsSA?

mySkillsSA is South Australia’s integrated solution for vocational education and training.

For employers, it’s where you manage your registration. It will also be where you can apply to make changes to a traineeship or apprenticeship once your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider has finalised a training contract.

Already registered?

If your business has employed a trainee or apprentice before, you will be able to:

  • access your mySkillsSA account
  • renew your registration (if it has expired)
  • modify your registration, including updating:
  • scope of registration (list of qualifications you offer)
  • worksite details
  • contact details, including primary contact person
  • if your business has any active traineeships or apprenticeships, you will be able to complete or apply to make changes to those training contracts.
Not sure if you’re registered?

The South Australian Skills Register provides a record of all businesses currently registered to employ a trainee or apprentice in South Australia.

First time mySkillsSA users

If you are already a registered employer but are accessing mySkillsSA for the first time you will need to sign up using your registered email address.

Only people authorised to act on behalf of the business should receive access. Your admin user will be able to grant access to other authorised users.

If your organisation does not have an admin user, you can request access.

Change of ownership

Are you a new employer taking over an existing employer’s business? Or changing your ABN?

If you’ve recently taken over a business that employs trainees or apprentices, or changed the ABN of your existing business, you will need to sign up to mySkillsSA as a new employer.

Once signed up, you will be able to apply for the change of ownership which will allow you to apply to register as an approved employer and request the transfer of existing worksites, trainees or apprentices and training scopes from the previous business.

Are you an existing employer taking over an existing employer’s business?

Simply sign in to mySkillsSA and you’ll be able to select the ‘Acquire a business’ application from the registration page. If approved, this will transfer worksites, trainees or apprentices and training scopes to your business.

ABN and business details

You will need your ABN and legal name to register.

Your legal name is not necessarily the same as your business name. If you’re not sure of the difference, you can find out more on the ASIC business name register.

Trusts

If your ABN is held by a Trust, when providing your business details you will be required to provide a copy of the Trust Deed, which lists the Trustee of the Trust.

ABN lookup Search business name register

Scope of registration

Your organisation’s scope of registration relates to the work, experience and qualifications your business offers to trainees or apprentices.

Your business should only offer qualifications that can be appropriately delivered, including holding relevant occupational licences.

Occupational licences

Employers in a licensed occupation must have the appropriate licence. The body corporate (e.g. a Pty Ltd company) must hold its own licence.

For more information about occupational licensing, visit Consumer and Business Services.

Traineeship and apprenticeship occupations

The Traineeship and Apprenticeship Pathways (TAP) Schedule lists apprenticeship and traineeship occupations in South Australia.

Explore available pathways Occupational licences