How to Hire an Apprentice in Australia

The qualified carpenter you need is hard to find. On site, the crew asks if you could train someone instead. Before you post an apprentice ad, check who will teach them and if you have the right work.

Training someone can help build your crew. But it takes time, steady work and a person who can teach. Here's how to hire an apprentice in Australia, from a builder's side of the fence.

This guide is for builders, subbies and contractors taking on an apprentice. The paperwork differs a little in each state, so we link the official pages as we go.

The short answer: how do I hire an apprentice?

Decide the trade and who will supervise them. Contact an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider early. It's a free service, and you can't start an apprenticeship without one. Find candidates through your crew, local schools, TAFE or a group training organisation. Interview for attitude. Then sign the training contract, pick a training provider and plan their first weeks.

Before you start, it helps to know what an empty role is costing you now. Check what hiring really costs you with your own numbers.

Step 1: Decide if you're ready

An apprentice isn't cheap labour. They're a long-term hire who needs time and teaching.

Business Queensland's steps to employ an apprentice start here too. It says to weigh up the pros and cons, understand your obligations, and think about costs and incentives.

Ask yourself:

• Do I have enough work? They need a steady range of work to learn the trade.
• Who will supervise them? Business Queensland says the supervisor should be qualified at the right level. They should work in the same workplace, on equal or similar hours.
• Can I let them go to trade school? You must give them time for off-the-job training.
• Can I pay them properly? Business Queensland says apprentices have the same rights as other employees, including wages, entitlements and superannuation.

If the answer to any of these is "not really," fix that first. An apprentice with no supervisor and no steady work won't last.

Step 2: Call an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider

Do this early, before you hire anyone.

An Apprentice Connect Australia Provider used to be called an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider. Business Queensland says you can't start an apprenticeship or traineeship without one. The NSW Government says the service is free.

A provider can:

• help you sign the training contract
• check if you're eligible for Australian Government incentives
• help with the paperwork from start to finish.

You can find a provider on the Australian Apprenticeships site.

About money: incentives change, so we haven't listed any amounts here. Ask your provider what you're eligible for. The Australian Apprenticeships site also has a page on financial support for employers.

Step 3: Find the right person

Don't rely on an ad alone. Try these routes:

• Your own crew. Ask who knows someone keen to learn, including a school leaver, an adult career changer or a labourer who wants a trade.
• A labourer you already have. The NSW Government lists an existing employee as one path. If someone on your site already turns up every day, they might be your best option.
• Local high schools and TAFE. NSW suggests talking to a school careers adviser or TAFE.
• A group training organisation (GTO). A GTO employs the apprentice and places them with you. NSW says this can give you more flexibility.
• A job ad. Keep it plain. Say the trade, the site, the hours and the pay. Our tradie job ad template works for apprentice ads too.

Many apprentices come from the labourer route. If you're hiring labourers now, our interview questions for labourers help you spot the ones who want a trade.

Step 4: Interview for attitude, not experience

Some applicants have no work history. Others are adults changing trades. Test how they learn and take direction, not their age.

Ask:

1. "Why this trade?" Listen for a real reason. "My uncle's a chippy and I helped him on weekends" beats "dunno, seemed alright."
2. "What have you built, fixed or pulled apart?" At home, at school, on a car. Hands-on people have stories.
3. "Tell me about a time someone told you that you'd done it wrong. What did you do?" You want someone who can take a correction.
4. "How will you get to site for a 6:30 start?" Turning up matters as much for apprentices as anyone.
5. "What would you do if you were asked to do something you thought was unsafe?" "Stop and ask" is the answer you want.
6. "Do you have a White Card?" Safe Work Australia says workers must have one before they start on a construction site. If they don't, plan to get it done before day one.

Our post on interview questions for carpenters has a short section on interviewing a carpentry apprentice too.

Ask every candidate the same questions. Keep them about the job. Don't ask about family, religion or where someone is from. The Australian Human Rights Commission has a guide to preventing discrimination in recruitment that explains why.

Use a paid, supervised skills check if you need one. Agree the tasks and pay first. We could not open the full Fair Work unpaid trials page during this review. Do not treat a short duration as permission to use unpaid labour.

Want a scoring sheet and scripts for interviews like this? Get the free 7 Hiring Mistakes report. It comes with the Recruiter's Toolkit.

Step 5: Sign the training contract and pick a training provider

Once they say yes, the formal part starts. Your provider walks you through it.

What	What it is	Who helps
Training contract	A formal agreement between you and the apprentice. It sets the trade, the qualification and how long it runs.	Your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider
Registered training organisation (RTO)	The trade school or TAFE that does the off-the-job training.	You and the apprentice choose, with the provider's help
Training plan	What they'll learn on the job and at trade school, and when.	The RTO

The training contract must also go through your state training authority. NSW says the provider submits it for approval. Do not assume a signature alone completes the process.

Some timing rules differ by state. For example, Apprenticeships Victoria says you and the apprentice must sign the training contract within 14 days of them starting. It also says they must be enrolled in formal training within three months. Check your own state's rules with your provider.

Probation. The NSW Government says an initial probation period of up to three months applies to apprenticeships in NSW. Use it well. Business Queensland suggests using it to assess their work ethic, reliability and potential.

Pay. Apprenticeships Victoria says wages must follow the relevant award or enterprise agreement. An award sets pay and work conditions for covered jobs. The Victorian page links to Fair Work's Find My Award tool.

NSW also says you must allow time off with pay for formal training and assessment. Confirm what applies to your role before the offer. Business Queensland says apprentices have employee rights, including wages, entitlements and super. They are not just students helping for free.

We could not access Fair Work's full apprentice pay guidance during this review. No rates are quoted here. Get the current rate, training pay and any fee or travel costs checked for your trade and award.

General information only, not legal advice. Rules and pay rates vary by state, award and trade. Check with your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider, your state training authority and the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Step 6: Plan the first weeks on site

Day one should not be "grab a broom and wait." Show them who to ask, where to go and what they will learn.

Business Queensland lists what an apprentice induction should cover. In short:

• an overview of the business and a tour of the site
• introductions to the crew
• their role and what you expect of them
• wages, hours, start and finish times, breaks and leave
• health and safety rules, including emergency procedures
• what everyone has agreed to in the training contract
• who to go to if there's a problem.

Then keep it simple:

• Pair them with one person. One supervisor, not "whoever's around."
• Give them a real task in week one. Something small they can finish and feel good about.
• Check in at the end of week one and week four. Ask what's going well and what's confusing.

Our guide on how to keep good tradies has a full first 14 days plan. It works for apprentices too.

Common mistakes when hiring an apprentice

• Hiring on a handshake, then calling the provider. Call them first. You can't start the apprenticeship without one.
• No named supervisor. The apprentice drifts, learns nothing and leaves.
• Treating them as a labourer for a year. They need a range of work to learn the trade and finish their training.
• Unpaid work dressed up as a trial. Use agreed paid work with supervision instead.
• Guessing the pay rate. Check the award first.

When to get help

Taking on an apprentice can help you build your own crew during a skills shortage. The hiring side, like finding, interviewing and keeping them, is the same skill you use for every hire.

If you'd like to run every hire the same way, take the free Hiring Readiness Scorecard to see where your process stands.

General information, not legal or tax advice. HiredConstruction teaches you to run your own hiring. It is not an agency.

Want help with your next hire?

Book a free 15-minute discovery call and we will talk through your next hire. Prefer to learn it yourself? The Construction Hiring System course ($497 AUD) teaches the full method, from the brief to the first fortnight on site.

FAQ

How do I hire an apprentice in Australia?

Decide the trade and who will supervise them. Contact an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider early, because you can't start an apprenticeship without one. Find candidates through your crew, schools, TAFE or a group training organisation. Interview for attitude. Then sign the training contract, choose a training provider and plan their first weeks on site.

What is an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider?

It's the service that helps employers set up and manage an apprenticeship. It used to be called an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider. Providers help you sign the training contract, check if you can get government incentives, and handle the paperwork. The NSW Government says the service is free.

What should I ask in an apprentice interview?

Ask why they want the trade and what they've built or fixed. Ask how they handle being told they got something wrong. Ask how they'll get to site for an early start and what they'd do about unsafe work. Check for a White Card. Ask every candidate the same questions and keep them about the job.

How much do I pay an apprentice?

Apprenticeships Victoria says pay must follow the relevant award or enterprise agreement. No rate is quoted here. Check the current rate and training pay with your workplace adviser and provider before you offer. Fair Work's full pay page was unavailable during this review. This is general information, not legal advice.

Is there a probation period for apprentices?

Yes. The NSW Government says an initial probation period of up to three months applies to apprenticeships in NSW. Other states have their own rules, so check with your provider. Use the probation period to see their work ethic, reliability and how they learn on site.