You can't start an apprenticeship or traineeship in Queensland without having an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider (Provider).

First point of call

Once the training contract is registered, the Provider will be your first point of call about the apprenticeship or traineeship for the life of the training contract.

Role of Apprentice Connect Australia Providers

Providers are contracted by the Australian Government to provide free advice and assistance with recruiting, training and retaining apprentices and trainees.

Their role is to:

• advise you about the most suitable apprenticeship/traineeship for your business
• help you find an apprentice/trainee
• help you choose a (supervising) registered training organisation to deliver off-the-job training
• help you work out timing and location of off-the-job-training
• do most of the paperwork and administrative tasks for setting up, maintaining and completing the apprenticeship or traineeship
• provide a training contract for you and your apprentice/trainee to sign
• check your eligibility for Australian Government incentives and subsidies
• provide advice and support during the apprenticeship/traineeship.

Find out how to:

• choose a Provider
• resolve issues with your Provider.

About 4,000 registered training organisations (RTOs) provide vocational education and training across Australia. They differ from other, unregistered training organisations because they:

• are registered and regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority
• can issue nationally recognised qualifications.

RTOs include:

• TAFE colleges and institutes
• adult and community education providers
• community organisations
• schools and higher education institutions
• commercial and enterprise training providers
• industry bodies
• other organisations that meet registration requirements.

RTOs that deliver training to apprentices and trainees are known as supervising registered training organisations (SRTOs).

Role

You and your apprentice/trainee will need to choose an SRTO to partner with throughout the apprenticeship or traineeship. The SRTO will:

• help you develop a training plan for the apprentice/trainee
• deliver training
• assess the achievement of skills or 'competencies'
• issue the qualification upon completion.

Find out how to choose the right RTO for you.

Responsibilities

Your apprentice's or trainee's SRTO will be responsible for the following activities during the life of the apprenticeship or traineeship.

Workplace assessment and planning

They will:

• assess your capacity to supervise and train your apprentice/trainee
• help you plan (workplace) tasks for your apprentice/trainee
• help you schedule study, training and work (for school-based apprenticeships and traineeships only).

Training and assessment

They will:

• negotiate and develop the training plan with you and your apprentice/trainee within strict timeframes
• train and assess your apprentice/trainee
• inform you about training costs, funding implications and training and assessment requirements.

Progress

They will:

• provide your apprentice/trainee with a training record within 14 days of the training plan being signed
• regularly check that your apprentice/trainee is keeping their training record up to date
• notify us if an apprentice/trainee is not progressing fast enough.

Learning support

If needed, they will provide learning (literacy and numeracy) support for your apprentice/trainee to help them complete their studies.

Completion

They will:

• sign a completion agreement together with you and your apprentice/trainee, when they have completed all their training and assessment
• send it to us within 10 days of signing it
• issue the qualification to your apprentice/trainee upon successful completion
• contact us if you don’t sign a completion agreement (even though your apprentice/trainee has fulfilled all their training and assessment requirements).

Complaints and disputes

If you or your apprentice/trainee have problems with your training organisation, they are responsible for managing this formally, by following their internal complaints process.

Find out how to resolve issues with your RTO.

Group training organisations (GTOs) provide alternative employment and training options for apprentices and trainees.

Apprentices and trainees hired by GTOs can spend their entire apprenticeship or traineeship with one host employer or be rotated around several host employers.

Benefits for employers

GTOs are beneficial for employers who:

• can't or don't want to support an apprentice or trainee for the full term of their apprenticeship or traineeship (good for small or specialised employers)
• can't or don't want to do the administrative work necessary for recruiting, managing and training an apprentice or trainee.

Host employer's responsibilities

When you host an apprentice or trainee from a GTO, you're responsible for:

• providing work and on-the-job training for the apprentice or trainee
• providing supervision and a safe working environment
• releasing the apprentice or trainee for off-the-job training
• participating and contributing to the workplace assessment of the apprentice or trainee
• contacting the GTO if there are issues with the performance or attendance.

GTOs' responsibilities

GTOs are responsible for:

• recruiting and employing apprentices or trainees
• paying wages, allowances and job entitlements
• screening host employers
• placing apprentices or trainees with host employers
• organising off-the-job training with supervising registered training organisations
• working with you as a host employer to develop and renew the training plan.

Also consider...

• Find contact details for approved GTOs operating in Queensland.
• Find eligibility and the registration process to become a GTO in Queensland.

We support and advise all parties involved in Queensland-based apprenticeships and traineeships, including employers like you.

For employers of apprentices and trainees, we can:

• provide information, support and advice about your apprenticeship or traineeship, including
  • your rights and obligations
  • tips and other help to resolve issues
  • support options and referral services
• help you meet your training contract responsibilities
• manage and update training contracts
• manage travel and accommodation subsidies
• support apprentices and trainees with disabilities
• issue completion certificates when your apprentice or trainee completes their training.

We also provide brochures on the Queensland apprenticeship and traineeship system to order, free of charge. Find out how to order your brochures.

How to contact us

Phone

1800 210 210 (general enquiries)
Open 8.30am to 4.45pm (Queensland time) Monday to Friday.

Email

apprenticeshipsinfo@qld.gov.au

In person

Visit one of our offices

SMS reminders for employers

Our SMS reminder service helps you keep track of your obligations when managing your apprentice or trainee.

You'll receive SMS messages at key milestones throughout the apprenticeship or traineeship. It won't replace any emails or letters you already receive from us.

You'll receive SMS reminders only if you have a small business (19 or fewer employees) and an active training contract for an apprentice or trainee.

You can choose to opt-out of the SMS reminder service at any time by replying 'STOP' to any SMS reminder.

To verify a SMS reminder is legitimate, check:

• it ends with 'QGOV Training Qld'
• any link is from a Queensland Government web address, such as www.business.qld.gov.au.

We will never ask for identifying information including bank details or date of birth. If you believe an SMS doesn't look right, or you have concerns, contact us on 1800 210 210 for more information.