Employing an Apprentice

Finding an Apprentice:

To find young people interested in building industry apprenticeships:

• Advertise at your nearest Apprenticeships Center
• Contact your local secondary school careers teacher
• Check the Apprenticeship Central web-site
• Advertise on this web-site
• Contact the National Institute of Painting and Decorating

Interviews:

• Explain your expectations
• Provide information on working hours, conditions, the nature and location of the work
• Highlight the career rewards and job prospects

Taking on an Apprentice

When you have found a suitable recruit:

• Sign a Training Contract for a specified term
• There is a probationary period of between 1-3 months
• Contact Fairwork Australia to confirm your rate of pay. In addition to wages, apprentices are also entitled to 9% superannuation
• Prior to working on-site all apprentices are entitled to undertake a safety induction

Developing a Training Plan

• Part of your Training Contract Obligations is to develop a Training Plan with an RTO.
• Most training is carried out on-site and you will need to give appropriate supervision and training to your apprentice to give them the opportunity to learn the skills they require to complete the apprenticeship. Your RTO is responsible for negotiating a training plan with you, providing training and assessment and issuing the apprentice's qualification.
• The apprentice's progress can be fast-tracked to complete their apprenticeship more quickly. This will be based on their competence.
• Choose an RTO that offers on-line apprenticeships to give you flexibility

Obtaining Financial Incentives

• Various incentives help cover the cost of your apprentice. There are numerous government incentives that are constantly updated.
• You are exempt from payroll tax on apprentice wages