Apprenticeships and traineeships are competency-based, not time-based.
You can both start the formal completion process, once your apprentice or trainee:
- has completed all units of competency in their training plan
- is competent in the workplace to industry standards
- and
- has worked enough hours (only applies to school-based apprentices and trainees).
Your apprentice or trainee can finish their apprenticeship or traineeship earlier than the 'nominal completion' date if they achieve these competencies before then.
When they complete it, they will receive:
- A 'qualification certificate' from their supervising registered training organisation (SRTO)
- A 'completion certificate' from us.
Completing your apprentice or trainee
Once your apprentice or trainee has completed their training competencies, there's a few things you'll need to do to make sure they're fully qualified.
Watch our video to learn about the steps you'll need to take at the end of their apprenticeship or traineeship.
Jump to a step
How to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship
Agree that the training and assessment is complete
You, your apprentice or trainee and the SRTO must all agree that your apprentice or trainee has fulfilled all the training and assessment listed in their training plan.
Receive qualification from SRTO
Your SRTO will issue a qualification to your apprentice or trainee, once they have successfully completed all training and assessment requirements listed in their training plan.
Complete paid working hours (for school-based traineeships)
School-based trainees must also complete the minimum amount of paid working hours.
Sign the completion agreement
You, your apprentice or trainee and SRTO will need to fill out a completion agreement. There are separate sections for each party within the form.
If the training contract has been temporarily transferred, the apprentice or trainee must return to the original employer before completing the apprenticeship or traineeship. The original employer must sign the completion agreement, not the temporary employer.
The signed completion agreement notifies us that:
- your apprentice or trainee has achieved all competencies listed in their training plan
- you believe your apprentice or trainee is competent in the workplace to industry standards
- your school-based trainee has completed the minimum number of paid working hours
- a qualification has been issued by the SRTO.
If your apprentice or trainee won't sign the completion agreement, contact your SRTO for help. If all the training in the training plan has been fulfilled, the SRTO will contact us.
We will write to you and the apprentice or trainee to let you both know that we are considering whether to complete the apprenticeship or traineeship and give both parties an opportunity to respond before making a decision to issue the completion certificate or not.
Wait for SRTO to send us the completion agreement
Once the SRTO has signed the completion agreement they must send it to us within 10 days of it being signed.
My SRTO has stopped operating
If your SRTO stopped operating before they issued your apprentice or trainee with a qualification certificate and/or signed the completion agreement, we may be able to help.
Qualification certificate
We can't issue a qualification certificate to your apprentice or trainee. If they require the qualification certificate, they can:
- contact Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)
- change the SRTO (this is the only option if the apprentice or trainee is in an industry, like electrical, that requires the qualification certificate for licensing).
Completion certificate
Step 1: Agree with your apprentice or trainee that they have fulfilled all training and assessment required in the training plan, and if they are/were school-based, that they have met the minimum paid employment requirement.
Step 2: Agree with your apprentice or trainee on a proposed completion date, which must be within 10 days of the date you sign the application form.
Step 3: Complete Form ATF-052.
Step 4: Send the application to us along with the required evidence and wait for us to make a decision.
Receive a completion certificate from us
We issue a completion certificate to the apprentice or trainee for the apprenticeship or traineeship, and a letter to you confirming the apprenticeship or traineeship has been completed, when we:
- have received the signed completion agreement from the SRTO
- are satisfied that the apprentice or trainee has completed the apprenticeship or traineeship.
If we aren't satisfied that your apprentice or trainee has completed their apprenticeship or traineeship, we will notify all parties about our decision.
Qualify
Your employee is now trade qualified, or skilled in their vocation, with a nationally recognised qualification and is no longer an apprentice or trainee.