When you take on an apprenticeship or traineeship, you may experience issues with your:

• apprentice or trainee
• supervising registered training organisation (SRTO)
• Apprentice Connect Australia Provider.

We recommend that you try to resolve the issue first by following our simple steps. In fact, if your issue cannot be resolved on your own and you need our help, we will ask what steps you've already taken to try and resolve it.

Identify the issue

Work out exactly what the issue is. Then express it in words that make it solvable.

TIP: Focus on the issue not the emotion or the person.

Identify causes, consequences and contributors

Identify who or what is causing the issue, who is contributing to it, who is affected by it, and what the consequences are.

TIP: Try to listen without arguing or debating.

Brainstorm solutions

Make a list of all the possible ways you could solve the issue. You're looking for a range of possibilities, both sensible and not so sensible.

TIP: Try to avoid judging or debating these yet.

Choose a solution

Look at the solutions in turn, assessing both the positives and negatives of each one. The solution you choose should be one that you can put into practice and that will solve the issue. Consult others if you can’t find a solution you are both happy with.

TIP: Considering the pros before the cons avoids people feeling criticised.

Plan the details

Once you’ve agreed on a solution, plan exactly how it will work.

To plan, you can ask these questions:

• Who will do what?
• When will they do it?
• What is needed to put the solution into action?

Evaluate the solution

Remember that you’ll need to give the solution time to work and note that not all solutions will work. Sometimes you’ll need to try more than 1 solution.

To evaluate you can ask these questions:

• What has worked well?
• What hasn’t worked so well?
• What could you do differently to improve the solution?

If you're concerned about your apprentice's or trainee's skills deficits, training plan or training contract, we can help you directly.

But before you reach out to us, make sure you've read our tips for resolving issues.

Misconduct and discipline

If you or your apprentice or trainee don't carry out your responsibilities under the registered training contract, you or your apprentice or trainee may be 'engaging in misconduct'.

Examples of misconduct include:

• either party fails to carry out a reasonable and lawful instruction, consistent with the training contract obligations
• the apprentice or trainee is absent from work without approval
• the apprentice or trainee doesn't participate in, or the employer doesn't provide, the training required under the training plan
• the apprentice or trainee doesn't keep or fails to produce, or the employer doesn't regularly update, the training record
• the apprentice or trainee is failing to make reasonable progress in their training because of deliberate neglect, or the employer doesn't report failure to make reasonable progress immediately.

Depending on the situation, we can discipline you and/or your apprentice or trainee with a reprimand or a fine.

Resolve specific issues

My apprentice or trainee just quit

Discuss options with your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider.

My apprentice or trainee has learning difficulties

Ask for extra support (that your apprentice or trainee is entitled to) from your supervising registered training organisation (SRTO).

My apprentice or trainee is falling behind with their training

If training delays can't be resolved with the apprentice or trainee, including discussing with the SRTO, the delays must be reported immediately to us. This must be done within 14 days of making the determination.

Business is slow and I can't meet my training contract obligations

If changed business circumstances affect your ability to train your apprentice or trainee, you can transfer, amend, extend or suspend your training contact. Read about making changes to the training contract.

Follow these steps to resolve issues you may experience with your supervising registered training organisation (SRTO).

Step 1: Understand their responsibilities

Refer to our page outlining the training organisation's obligations.

Step 2: Try to resolve it yourself

Try to resolve the issue yourself first by using our tips for resolving issues.

Step 3: Use their dispute resolution process

If Step 2 doesn’t resolve the issue, ask for a copy of the training organisation's complaint handling policy and process. Follow this process.

Step 4: Report it to us

If Step 3 doesn't resolve the issue, refer it to us, via Apprenticeships Info.

Step 5: Change your training organisation

If Step 4 doesn't resolve the issue, you may have to change training organisations.

Apprentice Connect Australia Providers are contracted to:

• be the first point of contact during the entire training contract (pre-commencement to completion)
• advise and support you and your apprentice or trainee during this time.

If you’re unhappy with their advice and support, follow the below steps to try and resolve the issue.

Step 1: Try to resolve it yourself

Try to resolve the issue yourself first by using our tips for resolving issues.

Step 2: Follow their complaints process

If you can't resolve the issue yourself, your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider will have policies and procedures for complaints. Ask for their process and follow it.

Step 3: Contact National Training Complaints Hotline

If Step 2 doesn't work, contact the National Training Complaints Hotline.