Employers must supervise apprentices and trainees

All employers are reminded that apprentices and trainees must be supervised by a suitably qualified or experienced person.

Supervision is the oversight and coordination of on-the-job training provided to an apprentice or trainee engaged under a training contract.

Supervision is a non-negotiable requirement of the Victorian apprenticeship and traineeship system. 

Apprentices and trainees need varying levels and types of supervision as they acquire skills and gain confidence in the workplace. A young first-year apprentice in an industry with greater risk of injury or harm needs a different form of supervision than a fourth-year apprentice or trainee working in an industry with less risk. 

The VRQA recommends Apprenticeships Victoria’s Guidance Note and fact sheets(opens in a new window) to employers, supervisors, and apprentices and trainees. They identify different types of supervision, and provide guidance for employers to determine what is most appropriate:

VRQA Authorised Officers will check employers’ supervision arrangements are appropriate when they contact apprentices and trainees, or visit workplaces.

The VRQA will ban employers who are not properly supervising apprentices and trainees from hiring apprentices and trainees in Victoria.

The VRQA has banned 17 employers in the last 6 months. In most cases, non-compliance with supervision was a key reason.