Australian Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships and traineeships combine on-the-job training and work experience while in paid employment with formal off-the-job training.

Australian Apprenticeships is the umbrella term commonly used for the national apprenticeship and traineeship arrangements that came into effect on 1 January 1998.

Traditionally, apprenticeships took three to four years to complete and a traineeship lasted for one to two years. However, Australian Apprenticeships are ‘competency based’ meaning that it may be possible to complete training sooner if the required skill level has been achieved.

What are training plans for Australian Apprentices?

A training plan is a program of training and assessment that forms the basis of an Australian Apprenticeship. Although training plans in the more generic sense are developed for all types of training, the focus here will be on the traineeship and apprenticeship context.

Every apprentice or trainee must have a training plan. It outlines the skills and competencies that an Australian Apprentice will be required to develop during his or her training to perform his or her job competently and complete the qualification requirements.

The content of the plan is negotiated between the employer, the Australian Apprentice and the registered training organisation that will issue the qualification.

They contain both the off-the-job training and the workplace-based training that an Australian Apprentice will undergo. Training plans must be specific to the apprentice or trainee under contract.

Why do we have training plans?

The training contract requires registered training organisations to develop, document, implement and monitor a training plan for each Australian Apprentice. In some states and territories, this requirement is reinforced by legislation. Training plans are intended to ensure that all parties are clear about what is expected during the course of the contract.

Who is party to a training plan?

The employer, the Australian Apprentice and the registered training organisation issuing the qualification must all be parties to the training plan. The registered training organisation must be a party to the training plan even if it arranges for another organisation to deliver training to the apprentice or trainee. All parties must be given a copy of the training plan once it has been signed.

What is in a training plan?

The exact requirements for training plans vary slightly from state to state. In some cases there are minimum requirements under law.

In general a training plan will need to cover the following:

  • details of the training to be delivered, and by whom
  • a list of all competencies and/or modules to be undertaken
  • agreed delivery and/or release patterns to achieve individual competencies
  • timeframes for both completion of individual competencies and progression through the qualification
  • the qualification or statement of attainment to be issued on completion of the training
  • any support required, such as support with language, literacy or numeracy or alternative training arrangements for people with special needs
  • any identified current competencies or credit transfer
  • assessment arrangements, including the responsibilities of the employer and the registered training organisation
  • monitoring arrangements and obligations.

Additional requirements apply for school-based apprentices and trainees (Australian School-based Apprentices).

Can a training plan be altered?

Minor alterations can be made to training plans if all parties agree to the changes. If a change is major—such as a change to the qualification being pursued by the Australian Apprentice—then a new training plan must be prepared and signed.

What is User Choice?

User Choice works in conjunction with the Australian Apprenticeships system and is a national policy governing the flow of public funds to training providers.

The objective of the User Choice Policy is to make the vocational education and training system more responsive to the needs of industry and employers, and therefore of more benefit to those receiving training. In principle, the flow of public funds to individual training organisations reflects the client’s choice of provider.

The User Choice Policy was endorsed by the Ministers for vocational education and training in May 1997 and amended in November 2000 and November 2003.

How does User Choice operate?

The Australian Apprenticeships system requires employers to engage an apprentice or trainee under a formal training contract. The contract ensures the apprentice or trainee receives training that leads to a qualification from a nationally endorsed training package or accredited course. Where the apprenticeship or traineeship is eligible, User Choice funds contribute to the cost of that training.

The policy ensures that public funds are spent on training that best suits the needs of individual employers and their employees, by allowing them to negotiate directly with training providers about specific aspects of their training needs. However, User Choice is not a commitment by states and territories to fund all Australian Apprenticeships.

Under the User Choice Policy, the ‘client’ is the employer and employee identified in the training contract, acting jointly. This definition reinforces the ideal that vocational education should benefit both the people being trained and the companies that employ them. The primary choice offered by the User Choice Policy is the right to choose a registered training organisation. The choice is not always unlimited, but each state or territory is expected to maximise the choices available to the client, within the limits of resources.

How to benefit from User Choice funding?

Employers may benefit from User Choice by engaging an employee under an apprenticeship or traineeship that meets the requirements for User Choice funding in their state or territory. Engaging an apprentice or trainee may also allow the employer to benefit from other incentives offered under the Australian Apprenticeships System.

Registered training organisations can benefit by delivering training under User Choice. Each state and territory has its own processes for determining which training providers will deliver User Choice training.

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