Changes and extensions
Making changes to the contract
Changing the term of the contract
Changing employers
The business is being sold
Changing your supervising registered training organisation
The business partnership has dissolved
Making changes to the contract
Both the employer and the apprentice or trainee can apply to have some details in the training contract changed, where both parties agree to the change.
Variations can include changes to:
- the term of the contract
- the type of apprenticeship or traineeship
- the qualification to be achieved
- the legal name of the employer
- the employment arrangement (e.g. change full-time employment to part-time employment).
Both Australian apprenticeships centres and the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts can assist you and your apprentice or trainee with applications to make changes to the training contract.
Read the fact sheet to learn more about making changes to the training contract.
Changing the term of the contract
All apprenticeships and traineeships have a nominal term and a nominal (or estimated) completion date. You do not need to apply to reduce the term of the apprenticeship or traineeship if it is likely that your apprentice or trainee will finish the training before the completion date.
As the majority of apprenticeships and traineeships operate using competency-based training, the time required for achieving skills and knowledge is flexible.
If it is unlikely that your apprentice or trainee will complete the training by the completion date, you will need to apply to the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts for an extension of the nominal term, and amend the training plan. The application for an extension must be made prior to the nominal completion date of the apprenticeship or traineeship.
For example, if your apprentice or trainee has experienced a long absence from work due to illness or injury, you may wish to extend the specific wage level or year of the apprenticeship or traineeship. This extension will allow your apprentice or trainee to achieve the competencies required to progress through the apprenticeship or traineeship. The training plan would also need to be reviewed.
To apply for an extension of the nominal term, write a letter or download and complete the form Extension of nominal term of an apprenticeship or traineeship [DOC 159kb] and send it to the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts.
Changing employers
If your apprentice or trainee chooses to move permanently to another employer, and you are agreeable to releasing the apprentice or trainee, the current training contract will need to be cancelled and a new training contract completed with the new employer.
A change in employer can occur when:
- the business is sold and the new owner agrees to continue the apprenticeship or traineeship
- a business partnership is dissolved, and one or more of the partners agrees to continue the apprenticeship or traineeship.
Note: that, while an apprentice or trainee can be temporarily assigned to another employer, usually for a maximum period of six months, this temporary assignment does not involve a change to the original training contract. Read the fact sheet to learn more about temporary assignment.
The business is being sold
If you sell your business, your apprentice or trainee can have their training contract assigned to the new owner of the business, if the new owner agrees to continue to train the apprentice or trainee.
To assign the training contract to the new owner, you must advise the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts of the new arrangements within 14 days of the transfer of the business. A Statutory assignment form [PDF 24kb] is available from the department for this purpose.
You will also need to contact your Australian Apprenticeships centre, to allow updating of their internal records.
The new owner must contact the department, in writing, to advise of their agreement to continue training.
If the new owner does not agree to continue training your apprentice or trainee, you may need to arrange for the training contract to be cancelled.
Read the fact sheet to learn more about transferring the training contract when a business is sold.
Changing your supervising registered training organisation
You and your apprentice or trainee can agree to change supervising registered training organisations during the apprenticeship or traineeship. As an employer, you must:
- write to the supervising registered training organisation advising them that they are to be replaced, including the date for the replacement (which can be no sooner than 14 days after the date written notice is given)
- advise the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts by completing the Change of supervising registered training organisation form [PDF 21kb]
The supervising registered training organisation you are replacing must provide your apprentice or trainee with a statement of attainment to confirm the training that has been completed. This must be provided on or before the replacement date.
Your new supervising registered training organisation will need to develop a new training plan with you and your apprentice or trainee.
Read the fact sheet for more information on replacement of a supervising registered training organisation.
The business is being sold
If you sell your business, your apprentice or trainee can have their training contract assigned to the new owner of the business, if the new owner agrees to continue to train the apprentice or trainee. To assign the training contract to the new owner, you must advise the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts of the new arrangements within 14 days of the transfer of the business. A Statutory assignment form [PDF 82kb] is available from the department for this purpose.
You will also need to contact your Australian Apprenticeships centre, to allow updating of their internal records.
The new owner must contact the department, in writing, to advise of their agreement to continue training.
If the new owner does not agree to continue training your apprentice or trainee, you may need to arrange for the training contract to be cancelled.
Read the fact sheet to learn more about transferring the training contract when a business is sold.
The business partnership has dissolved
If the partnership is dissolved, and you or at least one of your partners continues the business, the training contract is assigned to the remaining owner(s) of the business.
The Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts needs to be advised in writing within 14 days of the partnership dissolution. An Assignment (Transfer) of registered training contract / Change of legal name [DOC 159kb] form is available for the purpose of assigning a training contract to the new owner(s) of the business.
You will also need to contact your Australian Apprenticeships apprenticeships centre, in order that they can amend their records.
Read the fact sheet to learn more about transferring the training contract when a partnership dissolves.
If the business is not continued, the department must be advised so that the training contract can be cancelled.
Contact Apprenticeships info 1800 210 210 or Training Queensland 1300 369 935
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