Apprenticeship Training Contract Template (Australia)

Updated on 8 August 2026

Australia does not run apprenticeships on a single private contract. The instrument that makes someone an apprentice is a training contract registered with the state or territory training authority, signed by the employer and the apprentice and lodged through an Australian Apprenticeship Support provider. That document is prescribed, and this template does not replace it.

What this template does is cover the employment terms that sit alongside it — duties, hours, wages, supervision, leave, safety, confidentiality and what happens if the arrangement ends — in one place that both parties keep. It replaces a widely copied free apprenticeship contract that has the apprentice pay the employer a monthly participation fee, makes them buy their own tools and examination sittings, and contains no wage clause at all. In Australia an apprentice is an employee covered by an award or agreement, and the training is the employer's obligation, not a service the apprentice buys.

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Apprenticeship Employment Agreement

This Agreement is made on between , ABN , of (the Employer) and of , born (the Apprentice). It records the employment terms that apply alongside the registered training contract identified below.

Arrangement type:
Training contract reference:
Training authority:
Qualification:
Registered training organisation:
Nominal term:
Start date:
Position:
Place of work:

1. Precedence

The registered training contract lodged with the training authority, and the modern award or registered agreement that applies to this employment, prevail over this Agreement to the extent of any inconsistency. Nothing in this Agreement reduces an entitlement under the National Employment Standards, an award or a registered agreement.

2. Duties and Hours

The Apprentice's main duties are: . Ordinary hours are per week, worked . The Apprentice will carry out the work with reasonable skill and care, follow reasonable directions and workplace policies, and participate in the training and assessment required by the qualification.

3. Wages

The Apprentice is employed under at classification , with a current base rate of , paid . The rate steps up on in accordance with that instrument, and the Employer will apply the increase without the Apprentice needing to ask. Rates will also be adjusted whenever the applicable minimum rates change.

No fee, deposit, tuition or other charge is payable by the Apprentice for this apprenticeship, and no deduction will be made from the Apprentice's wages for training, tools, personal protective equipment, examination or assessment costs.

4. Training

The Apprentice will attend and participate in the structured training delivered by in accordance with the training plan. Attendance, course fees, materials and travel are treated as follows: . The Employer will release the Apprentice to attend training and will not require the Apprentice to make up that time outside their ordinary hours except as the applicable award or agreement permits.

5. Supervision and Review

The Apprentice's workplace supervisor is . Supervision arrangements are: . Progress is reviewed with the training organisation at: . The Employer will take part in those reviews and raise any concern about progress promptly rather than at the end of the arrangement.

6. Work Health and Safety

The Employer will provide a safe system of work, and instruction, training and supervision proportionate to the Apprentice's inexperience. The Apprentice will follow safety directions, use protective equipment as instructed, and report hazards, incidents and near misses promptly. The Apprentice will not be directed to perform work for which they are not trained or for which they do not hold any required licence.

OptionalEmployer supplies tools and protective equipment

The Employer supplies and maintains, at its own cost, the tools, equipment and personal protective equipment the Apprentice needs to perform the work safely.

OptionalInclude confidentiality and work-product clause

7. Confidentiality and Work Product

The Apprentice will keep the Employer's confidential information confidential during and after the employment. The Apprentice assigns to the Employer all rights in work and materials created in the course of their duties under this Agreement, excluding anything created before it began and anything created outside working hours without using the Employer's equipment, materials or confidential information. The Apprentice may retain and present their own portfolio work required for assessment.

8. Probation and Ending the Arrangement

The probation period for this arrangement is , as determined by the training authority or the applicable award or agreement. During probation, the training contract may be cancelled by either the Employer or the Apprentice.

After probation, the training contract may be cancelled only if both the Employer and the Apprentice agree. Where one party wishes to end the arrangement and the other does not, the matter is dealt with through the training authority rather than by unilateral notice, and this Agreement does not purport to give either party a right the training contract does not.

OptionalInclude the duty to notify the training authority

Where the arrangement is completed, cancelled, suspended or transferred, the Employer will notify the training authority and the registered training organisation promptly, so that the Apprentice's record is accurate and any transfer to another employer can be arranged.

9. Completion

On completing the required training and assessment, the Apprentice receives the qualification through the registered training organisation and the training contract is completed with the training authority. What happens to the Apprentice's employment afterwards is: .

OptionalInclude parent or guardian signature (under 18)

Employer

Date:

Apprentice or trainee

Date:

Parent or guardian (if under 18)

Date:

The registered training contract comes first

An apprenticeship or traineeship has to be registered with the state or territory training authority, and the employer and apprentice must sign the formal training contract within 14 days of employment starting. Registration is what connects the job to a qualification, a registered training organisation and the training plan, and it is what gives everyone a shared record of their responsibilities.

The training contract sets the employer's obligations to support the apprentice to complete the qualification, including on-the-job training and supervision. This agreement records the employment side of the same relationship, and the two need to say the same things about hours, the qualification and the training organisation — a mismatch surfaces at a training authority audit rather than at signing.

Because the registered contract is the primary document, this template asks for its reference number, the training authority, the qualification code and the registered training organisation, and states plainly that where the two conflict, the registered training contract and the applicable award or agreement prevail.

Probation and cancellation are not ordinary employment mechanics

The probation period on an Australian training contract is set by the state or territory training authority or by the relevant award or agreement for that qualification and vocation, not simply picked by the employer. During probation the training contract may be cancelled by either the employer or the apprentice.

After probation the position changes, and it differs between apprentices and trainees. For an apprentice, both the employer and the apprentice must agree before the training contract can be cancelled. For a trainee, either party may choose to cancel. That is a genuinely different structure from the at-will style termination clauses in imported templates, and it is why this template treats cancellation of the training contract and termination of employment as two related but separate things.

The template therefore records the probation period as set for the qualification, describes the post-probation cancellation rule for the arrangement type chosen, and requires the employer to notify the training authority and the training organisation when the arrangement ends — so the apprentice's record and any transfer of the apprenticeship can be dealt with properly.

Wages, allowances and what the apprentice must never be charged

Apprentices and trainees are employees. Their minimum pay comes from the modern award or registered agreement that covers the work, and apprentice rates typically step up by year of the apprenticeship and sometimes by whether the apprentice has completed Year 12. Those steps are contractual events that need diarising, not something to notice at a pay review.

This template records the award or agreement that applies, the classification, the current rate, the basis on which it was set and the date the rate next steps up. It also treats training time properly: attendance at the registered training organisation and other required training is part of the arrangement, and the treatment of that time and of associated fees and travel is stated rather than left blank.

And it inverts the clause that defines the source template: no fee, deposit or tuition charge is payable by the apprentice, and no deduction is made from their wages for training, tools, personal protective equipment or assessment. Deductions from an employee's pay are tightly regulated in Australia and cannot simply be written into a contract of this kind.

Supervision, safety and completion

The employer's core obligation under the arrangement is support and supervision — enough that the apprentice can work safely and actually learn the trade. This template names a supervisor, records the supervision arrangements and sets review points with the training organisation, because "the apprentice will receive training in the field" commits nobody to anything.

Work health and safety duties sit on top of everything else and are non-delegable. A young or inexperienced worker needs instruction and supervision proportionate to that inexperience, and protective equipment is supplied and paid for by the employer, not bought by the apprentice out of an already-lower wage.

At completion, the apprentice receives the qualification through the training organisation and the training contract is completed with the training authority. What happens to the employment afterwards is a separate question, and the template makes you answer it — whether the role continues and on what terms — because leaving it unsaid is a routine source of friction in the final months of an apprenticeship.

Clause-by-clause guide

Registered training contract details: Records the training contract reference, the state or territory training authority, the qualification and code, and the registered training organisation.
Precedence: States that the registered training contract and the applicable award or registered agreement prevail over this document where they conflict.
Arrangement type: Apprenticeship or traineeship, because the post-probation cancellation rule differs between the two.
Duties, hours and place of work: The apprentice is an employee doing a real job; the duties clause describes that job as well as the learning attached to it.
Wages and the next step-up: The award or agreement, the classification, the current rate and the date the rate next increases, so a stage increase is diarised in the contract.
Training time, fees and travel: How attendance at the training organisation is treated and who bears course fees, materials and travel.
No cost to the apprentice: No fee, deposit or tuition charge and no wage deduction for training, tools, protective equipment or assessment.
Supervision and review: Names the supervisor, records supervision arrangements and sets review points with the training organisation.
Work health and safety: Instruction and supervision proportionate to inexperience, protective equipment supplied at the employer's cost, and a duty to report hazards.
Probation and cancellation: The probation period set for the qualification, and the post-probation rule — mutual agreement for an apprentice, either party for a trainee — plus notification to the training authority.
Completion: The qualification and completion of the training contract, and whether employment continues afterwards and on what terms.

Australian compliance checklist

Apprenticeships are administered by the states and territories, so confirm the detail with the relevant training authority.

Register the training contract and sign it within 14 days
Apprenticeships and traineeships must be registered with a state or territory training authority, and the employer and apprentice must sign the formal training contract within 14 days of employment starting so responsibilities are clear and the apprentice is correctly registered.
business.gov.au - hire an apprentice or trainee
Take the probation period from the training authority or the award
The probation period is determined by the state or territory training authority or the relevant award or agreement for the qualification and vocation. During probation the training contract may be cancelled by either party.
Apply the correct post-probation cancellation rule
After probation, an apprentice's training contract can only be cancelled if both the employer and the apprentice agree, whereas for a trainee either party may cancel. Do not import an at-will termination clause in place of this.
business.gov.au - apprentices and trainees, cancelling a training contract
Pay the award or agreement rate for the stage
Apprentices and trainees are employees whose minimum pay comes from the applicable modern award or registered agreement, with rates that typically step up by year of the apprenticeship. Record the classification and the date of the next step-up.
Never charge the apprentice for the apprenticeship
No fee, deposit or tuition charge should be payable by the apprentice, and deductions from an employee's pay are tightly regulated and cannot simply be written into a contract to recover training, tool, equipment or assessment costs.
Provide supervision and safe systems of work
Supervision sufficient for the apprentice to work safely and learn the trade is a core obligation under the training contract, and work health and safety duties require instruction and supervision proportionate to the apprentice's inexperience.
Notify the training authority when the arrangement ends
Completion, cancellation, suspension and transfer of a training contract are administered by the state or territory training authority. Notify them and the registered training organisation so the apprentice's record is accurate and any transfer can proceed.
Check the rules for apprentices under 18
Working hours, supervision, high-risk work restrictions and parental consent requirements for young workers vary between states and territories and apply on top of this agreement.

How to complete this apprenticeship agreement

Record the registered training contract. Enter the training contract reference, the training authority, the qualification and code, and the registered training organisation.
Choose apprenticeship or traineeship. The document prints the correct post-probation cancellation rule for the arrangement you choose.
Set hours, wages and the next step-up. Enter the ordinary hours, the award or agreement, the classification, the current rate and the date the rate next increases.
Record supervision and training time. Name the supervisor, describe supervision and review arrangements, and state how training attendance, fees and travel are treated.
Add the guardian block if needed, then sign. Switch on the parent or guardian section for an apprentice under 18, download the DOCX or PDF, sign and give the apprentice a copy.

Frequently asked questions

Does this replace the registered training contract?

No. The training contract registered with the state or territory training authority is the instrument that makes someone an apprentice, and it must be signed within 14 days of employment starting. This agreement covers the employment terms that sit alongside it, and says that the registered contract and the applicable award prevail if they conflict.

Can an employer charge an apprentice for their training?

No employer-side template should be built that way, and this one is not. An apprentice is an employee, the training obligation sits with the employer, and deductions from pay are tightly regulated. The source template this page replaces charges the apprentice a monthly fee and has no wage clause at all.

How long is probation, and who decides?

The probation period is determined by the state or territory training authority or the relevant award or agreement for that qualification and vocation, rather than chosen by the employer. During probation either the employer or the apprentice may cancel the training contract.

Can an employer cancel an apprenticeship after probation?

Not unilaterally. After probation, an apprentice's training contract can only be cancelled if both the employer and the apprentice agree. For a trainee the position is different — either party may cancel. That is why this template asks which arrangement you have.

What wage does an apprentice get?

The minimum comes from the modern award or registered agreement covering the work, with rates that usually step up by year of the apprenticeship and sometimes by prior schooling. The template records the award, the classification, the current rate and the date the next step-up applies so the increase is not missed.

Is time at the training organisation paid?

Attendance at the registered training organisation is part of the apprenticeship arrangement, and how that time and any associated fees and travel are treated depends on the applicable award or agreement. The template requires you to state the position rather than leave it blank.

Who supplies tools and protective equipment?

Under this template the employer supplies protective equipment and the tools needed to work safely, at its own cost. Work health and safety duties are non-delegable, and requiring an apprentice on a lower wage to buy their own protective equipment is exactly the practice the source template normalises.

What happens when the apprenticeship finishes?

The apprentice receives the qualification through the training organisation and the training contract is completed with the training authority. Whether the employment continues, and on what terms, is a separate question — and this template makes you answer it in writing rather than leaving it to the final months.

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Disclaimer

This template and guide are for general information only and are not legal or employment advice, and no Australian legal practitioner has reviewed them. Apprenticeship administration differs between states and territories, and award rates change — check with the relevant training authority and the current award before signing.