Step Four - Sign Up

Every Australian Apprentice must be signed up into a formal Training Contract shortly after they are employed. This ensures that all parties are aware of their responsibilities and understand what it means to commence an Australian Apprenticeship.

Once signed up, the employer can then pay apprentice or trainee wages, and the Australian Apprentice can be enrolled into the appropriate course with a training provider. 

To organise a sign up, the employer will need to contact an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider, also known as an Apprenticeship Network Provider. These are free services funded by the Australian Government to help out with Australian Apprenticeships.

The AASN provider will give the apprentice or trainee and employer some information about how to make sure the Australian Apprenticeship works for everyone. They will also help with applications for incentives or allowances. During the apprenticeship or traineeship, the AASN provider is your first point of contact for any support needed.

Enrolling in the course

There are a lot of misconceptions around when you should contact a Registered Training Organisation (e.g. TAFE or private training provider) to enrol in to the course component of an apprenticeship or traineeship.

An apprentice or trainee needs to be signed up by an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider before enrolling with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). 

You can ask your AASN provider which RTOs can deliver the course that you need, or you can search for RTOs on the Australian Government's My Skills website and make a few calls.

It is common for an apprentice or trainee to start their course component after they have finished the probationary period with the employer.