When is my apprentice or trainee fully completed?
A training contract is fully completed when there is agreement from the employer, Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and apprentice/trainee that all the required competencies for the qualification have been attained.
What happens once we’ve all agreed to the completion?
Your RTO will contact you once your apprentice/trainee’s units have been completed. A completion agreement will need to be signed by all parties (employer, RTO and apprentice/trainee) and they will ask you to confirm an agreed completion date.
Within 21 days of the agreed completion date, the RTO will notify the Apprenticeship Office of the completion via the Western Australian Apprenticeship Management System (WAAMS) portal. This will generate a completion notification to all parties, and where applicable, will also generate your apprentices’ trade certificate.
Who can get a trade certificate in WA?
A trade certificate may be issued to an individual who has achieved an apprenticeship qualification if the individual has:
- completed the qualification via a training contract registered in Western Australia;
- met the Department’s trade skills recognition (TSR) requirements; or
- completed a qualification that is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) in an Australian state or territory other than WA. The qualification must be equivalent to a qualification on the Classification of prescribed vocational education and training qualifications in WA with the title of apprentice, and must have been achieved through an employment-based training arrangement.
Who can’t get a trade certificate in WA?
The Apprenticeship Office is not able to issue a trade certificate to an individual who:
- is an apprentice who hasn’t completed their training contract;
- has completed the qualification through institutional training only;
- is an international student; or
- has achieved an apprenticeship qualification through Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) using an RTO that is not approved by the Department as a TSR provider.
I’ve got someone working for me who completed their apprenticeship interstate. How can they get a WA Trade Certificate?
If someone is a qualified tradesperson in an Australian state or territory other than Western Australia they may be eligible for a WA trade certificate if:
- they completed a qualifications recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF);
- the qualification they have completed was completed in an Australian state or territory other than WA;
- the qualification they have completed is equivalent to the qualification on the Classification of prescribed vocational education and training qualifications in WA with the title of apprentice;
- the qualification has been achieved in an employment-based training arrangement.
View the Department of Training and Workforce Development fact sheet for more information.
How does applying for a trade certificate via trade skills recognition work?
In some instances, an individual who has been working in industry may gain the necessary skills and competency to be recognised as a tradesperson, although never having completed a formal qualification.
A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) can issue a qualification through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for people who can demonstrate they meet the competencies required for the qualification.
An individual may be eligible for a WA trade certificate through the TSR process if the following conditions are met.
- The qualification is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
- The qualification is identified on the Classification of prescribed vocational education and training qualifications in WA, with the title of apprentice.
- The qualification is awarded through RPL by an RTO that is approved by the Department as a TSR provider for the particular qualification. See list of approved RPL here
For more information on applying for a trade certificate via a trade skills recognition application click here
