New employers campaign continues in 2026

Are you a new employer of apprentices or trainees? You may get a visit from us soon.

Our authorised officers are making unannounced visits to workplaces. We are focusing on apprentices and trainees who started in the last 3 to 4 months. We’ve visited 58 new employers so far. We've been to childcare, manufacturing, automotive, construction, hospitality, personal services, and healthcare employers.

We want to make sure new employers understand and comply with their obligations and fix any problems early.

So far results have been positive. Most visits found no issues, employers know their obligations and are meeting them.

When issues have been identified, we’ve helped employers who want to do the right thing.

In one example, a restaurant had apprentices completing a Certificate IV in Kitchen Management. Authorised officers found that apprentices made up most of the kitchen staff and some apprentices held senior roles.

The restaurant had:

• an unqualified person supervising the executive chef
• apprentices supervising other apprentices in the same qualification.

Our authorised officers explained the employer was breaching its obligations. The employer did not want to hire suitably qualified and experienced supervisions. The training contracts were voluntarily cancelled.

Employers must provide appropriate supervision for their apprentices. This keeps them safe and makes sure they receive quality training.

For more information on your employer obligations visit Manage an apprentice or trainee.