Trade Apprenticeships

An Australian construction apprenticeship is a 3–4 year "earn and learn" — you are a paid employee doing real work while a TAFE teaches the theory, bound together by a registered training contract. Here is how the system works, what apprentices get paid, the incentives on offer, and what an employer signs up to.‍‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‍

How the system works

Four parties:

• The apprentice — an employee (usually working toward a Certificate III), paid for work and for training time over 3–4 years.
• The employer — provides the paid work, on-the-job training and supervision, and supports training attendance.
• The AASN / Apprentice Connect Australia provider — signs up the apprenticeship, helps pick the RTO, registers the training contract with the state training authority, and is your first call for changes, incentives and issues.
• The RTO (often TAFE) — delivers and assesses the off-the-job training and issues the qualification.

The apprentice and employer sign a training contract (a parent or guardian too if under 18); once the AASN provider registers it with the state training authority it becomes a binding State Training Contract, sitting alongside the award (the MA000020 Building and Construction General On-site Award). It includes a probation (commonly 1–3 months) and a cooling-off period. TAFE delivery is by block-release, day-release or a mix.

What apprentices get paid

Apprentice pay comes from the MA000020 award as a percentage of the qualified tradesperson's rate, varying by year of apprenticeship, age and whether it is adult or school-based. Because the percentages and base rates move, always confirm the current numbers with the Fair Work Ombudsman pay calculator or pay guide rather than relying on a figure you saw once:

• The latest pay guide was published 7 May 2026, with rates applying from the first full pay period on or after 24 February 2026.
• Before that, the 2025 Annual Wage Review (~3.5% from 1 July 2025) applied.
• The next round of increases usually flows from 1 July each year.

Government incentives (2025–26)

Two layers — federal and state:

• Housing construction apprentice incentive (from 1 July 2025): eligible apprentices in priority housing-construction occupations can receive $10,000 across the apprenticeship — five instalments of $2,000 at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months and on completion, on top of wages.
• Employer incentives (Key Apprenticeship Program): staged payments for taking on apprentices in priority occupations (for example, around $1,000 at 6 months and $1,500 at 12 months for part-time, more for full-time), depending on the occupation list and SME status.
• Apprentices with disability: the DAAWS wage support rose from $104.30 to $216.07 per week from 1 July 2025.
• State add-ons vary — e.g. QLD has exempted apprentice wages from payroll tax (currently to 30 June 2026) and offers fee-free training for under-25s in priority construction qualifications. Check your state training authority for the current schemes.

(Amounts and eligibility change, and some are recently introduced — confirm current entitlements with your AASN provider.)

What the employer signs up to

• Release for training — you cannot stop an apprentice attending TAFE.
• Pay during training — time in off-the-job training and assessment counts as time worked, so it is normal pay with leave accruing (school-based apprentices get a 25% loading on time worked instead).
• Training costs — you cover RTO tuition and prescribed textbooks (pay the RTO or reimburse the apprentice within set timeframes), plus PPE and a tool allowance per the award; sometimes travel for block-release.
• Training plan — developed with the AASN provider and RTO, which sequences and assesses the units.

Cancelling or suspending a training contract

It is governed by state apprenticeship law, so the authority differs:

• During probation, either party can withdraw fairly easily with written notice to the other and the training authority/AASN.
• After probation, it goes through the state training authority on forms, usually with AASN support — a mutual "cancellation by consent", or a one-party application the authority assesses. QLD uses 7-day notification and cooling-off windows; WA does not let an employer terminate unilaterally without consent or department approval.

Get the AASN provider involved early — they can mediate, mentor or arrange a transfer before it comes to cancellation.

Common mistakes

• Quoting an apprentice rate from memory instead of the current pay guide.
• Stopping an apprentice going to TAFE, or not paying for training time.
• Forgetting to cover RTO fees, textbooks, PPE and the tool allowance.
• Trying to end a contract post-probation without the training authority.

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