What are the benefits of hiring an apprentice or trainee?
Apprentices and trainees bring practical skills, formal learning, and innovative ideas to your workplace. Including apprenticeships and traineeships in your hiring and training strategy enables you to:
- Bring new skills into the business to increase your competitiveness.
- Prevent future skills shortages and safeguard your business.
- Access Government funding, incentives, and rebates if eligible.
- Train staff to suit the unique needs of your business.
- Drive a culture of success within your business.
Apprenticeships and traineeships are available in more than 500 occupations, ranging from traditional trades, engineering, and manufacturing to media, electronics, tourism, telecommunications, retail, and financial services.
Can I get funding for hiring an australian apprentice?
The Australian Government is committed to supporting the development of skilled labour across the country and provides a range of financial incentives and benefits to employers and Australian Apprentices.
Learn about incentives
What is the difference between apprenticeships, traineeships and school-based?
Apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is the Government's collective term for apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia, and it's available to anyone of working age.
An apprentice becomes part of your workplace in a tangible, significant way through a committed, structured agreement running for three and a half to four years. The training combines practical experience at work with complementary off-the-job training, typically in trade industries, through a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
Apprenticeship qualifications can sometimes be completed at your place of work, meaning the training provider will come to you to help limit the disruption to operations. Alternatively, training can be provided off-site by an experienced training provider with a program tailored to the specialist needs of your business.
Traineeship
A traineeship, like an apprenticeship, is a training agreement between the trainee and the employer that guarantees the trainee will receive specific industry training and working and learning opportunities. However, traineeships tend to have a broader range of occupations available, are often in vocational or office-based industries, and are generally shorter than apprenticeships.
Traineeships are available for people of all ages and last between nine and 48 months, depending on the vocation and certificate level undertaken.
School-based apprenticeships and traineeships
School-based apprenticeships and traineeships offer incredible opportunities for both students and employers. Students aged 15 years and over are provided with valuable employment skills, hands-on industry experience and a nationally recognised qualification while continuing to complete secondary school qualifications.
Employing a school-based apprentice or trainee gives you the chance to:
- Recruit keen young staff before they graduate from high school
- Employ and train a young person part-time in your business
- Meet the current and future skills needs of your business.
- Give a young person realistic exposure to your industry
There are a few more things to consider if you plan to take on a school-based apprentice or trainee.
What qualifications are available?
Apprenticeships and traineeships offer nationally recognised qualifications, from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma, giving tangible, real-life experience in various industries.
There are hundreds of qualification types across office administration and management, trades, front-line staff and everything in between. These qualifications can be offered as funded apprenticeships or traineeships.
Australian Apprenticeships Priority List
The Australian Apprenticeships Priority List identifies trade, community and personal services occupations identified as experiencing a national skills shortage. If you want to access the most up-to-date Australian Priority List, see below:
Australian Apprenticeships Priority List for commencements from 15 October 2024
Check out the complete list of apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications available in your state or territory below:
Are you Ready To Recruit?
Take our free RecruitReady diagnostic to determine how ready your business is to take on a new apprentice or trainee.
How do I find an apprentice or trainee?
We can help provide innovative and cost-effective training solutions to up-skill your workforce. Our dedicated Industry Training Consultants will visit your workplace to assess skills and identify business-wide training opportunities.
We can recommend relevant qualifications for individual staff and assist you in finding a Registered Training Organisation that can accommodate the needs of your business and your employees.
We can also provide an initial workplace assessment of your eligibility for incentives and benefits.
Skillsroad
Advertise your entry-level positions and access local candidates through our Jobs Board on skillsroad.com.au.
Skillsroad's Jobs Board is Australia's Leading youth-centric Jobs Board, putting you in touch with over 300,000 entry-level job seekers looking for work and career advice.
Group Training Organisations
A Group Training Organisation (GTO) employs apprentices and trainees and hires them out to “host employers”. The GTO is responsible for the quality and continuity of the employment and training and provides care and support throughout the apprenticeship or traineeship.
Registered Training Organisations
Many Registered Training Organisations (RTO) provide pre-vocational or pre-employment courses in specific disciplines. Students who have completed these courses have proven their commitment to learning and development and are equipped with skills to jump-start into a business.
Schools
Many schools offer school-based training programs and may advertise the position to their community. Our team has an extensive network among schools and established relationships with teachers, careers advisers and VET coordinators should you need more information.
Vocational, Training and Employment Centres
Vocational, Training and Employment Centres (VTECs) work with employers to identify jobs for Indigenous job seekers and establish the training requirements for these jobs. VTECs ensure Indigenous job seekers have the skills needed with training tailored to the employer's specifications.
Workforce Australia
Workforce Australia is a national network of around 200 private, community and government organisations dedicated to finding jobs for unemployed people.
Get in touch today
Schedule a free chat with our team, and we can guide you through an apprentice or trainee sign-up. We will also show you how you can access funding and incentives from the federal and state Government that your business may be eligible for.