Choose the right apprenticeship or traineeship for your business

Apprentices and trainees can be full-time, part-time, school-based, adult or mature age. Not everyone can be an apprentice or trainee in Queensland.

Eligibility criteria

To become an apprentice or trainee in Queensland, your apprentice or trainee must meet basic criteria for:

• minimum age
• visa requirements for workers other than Australian and New Zealand citizens/residents.

Full-time or part-time

Full-time apprentices and trainees work and train an average of 38 hours per week and have ongoing work.

Part-time apprentices and trainees are rostered to work on a regular basis, working and training no less than 15 hours per week, averaged over a 4-week cycle.

School-based

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships allow high school students, generally in Years 10, 11 or 12, to work for an employer and train towards a recognised qualification, while completing high school and studying for their Queensland Certificate of Education or its equivalent. A school-based apprenticeship or traineeship takes twice as long as a full-time apprenticeship or traineeship.

Adult or mature age

Your apprentice or trainee does not have to be young. In fact, older apprentices and trainees usually bring maturity, reliability, life experience and knowledge. You will have to pay your adult or mature age apprentice or trainee higher wages, but there are also special incentives for eligible employers.

Existing workers

You can transition one of your existing workers to become an apprentice or trainee and depending on their experience, they may be eligible for recognition of prior learning (RPL).