Employing a trainee in your workplace will be a rewarding opportunity for your organisation. You will have the opportunity to help someone gain real skills in your workplace through both informal and formal training activities. The employer may be eligible to receive incentive payments from the Federal Government and subsidies training from the State Government.

When you employ a trainee, you enter into a training contract, this is a legally binding document which is lodged with the Department of Employment and Training (DET).

You will need to have a Supervising Registered Training Organisation to help you work through the traineeship. We can help you with this!

Specialised Training Services is a Registered Training Organisation with a User Choice Contract. We provide quality training and mentoring support throughout South East Queensland.

Trainees are supervised in the workplace where they work, they will develop skills in their normal daily activities. The trainee will also do formal training, working through self paced modules which are supplied by Specialised Training Services, by participating in one-on-one training with their trainer, and by attending workshops if appropriate.

A record book is kept for each of the competencies and is signed off by the training, supervisor and trainer, once the trainee has demonstrated competency for that unit.

Approximately 20% of the trainee's time is spent in training. At our first meeting after the signing of the training agreement, a training plan is created, and this documents how and when the training will take place.

Traineeships are for Entry level workers and for Existing workers where there is an identified skills gap.

Over the last few years there have been several significant changes to the traineeship guidelines, so our best advice to you, is to check the latest guidelines with your New Apprenticeship Centre.

It is important to remember that there are two different government departments who are helping to make this traineeship work for you.

· The Federal Government are responsible for providing incentive $ to employers.

· The State Government provide funding to the Training Organisation for Trainees who meet the User Choice Criteria.

Funding is a little tricky, but follow the maze below and lets see if we can help.

If funding is available under User Choice and your trainee is eligible (fits a priority target group), then the State Government will pay the Training Provider for the training, and the employer will receive incentive $.

If the course is not funded under User Choice, you will need to buy the training from the Training Provider, this is usually paid for out of the employer incentive $.

The User Choice Priority Target Group - Young people (15 to 24 years of age); Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people; Australian South Sea Islander people; Long term unemployed, (defined as unemployed for 12 months or more); Women re-entering the workforce after a period of 12 months continuous leave of absence; People over 45 years of age ;People from a non-English speaking background; People with a disability.

When you are selecting the training for your trainee you need to identify the following:

· Is the course funded under User Choice?

· Is there a criteria for that User Choice Funding?

· Does the Training Provider you have selected have a contract with User choice and the budget to deliver the training?

· Does the Training Provider offer Fee for Services Arrangements?

· How much is the Fee for Service?

· When does the invoice get paid?

Look at the table below to get a better idea about the availability of training for this qualification, how much it will cost and if Specialised Training Services can help your organisation.

* All incentive payments are only a guide of the typical incentive due, you must check with your New Apprenticeship centre to confirm if the employer and the potential trainee meet the eligibility guidelines to be eligible for traineeship incentives.

To enter into a traineeship, there must be a willing employer and employee, who are both committed to abiding by the rules and regulations of traineeships. A trainee in Queensland must be employed either full-time or part-time for at least 15 hours per week.

Adequate time must be set aside in normal work hours for the trainee to complete their theory studies. A trainer from STS will come into the workplace on a regular basis to work with the trainee.

For more detailed information about trainees and apprenticeships, please check www.training.qld.gov.au

Qualification	User Choice Funding Available	Does STS have a User Choice Contract	If eligible for User Choice, the cost will be:	If no User Choice, the cost will be: Fee for Service with S.T.S.	Typical incentives expected – check with your N.A.C. *
Certificate II in Business	Yes	Yes	Tuition fees apply	$2500	$1250	Specialised Training Services are happy to deliver training on a Fee for Service arrangement for any qualification.
Certificate III in Business	Yes	No	No User Choice with STS	$2500	$4000
Certificate III in Business Administration	Yes	Yes	Tuition fees apply	$2500	$4000
Certificate III in Business Sales	Yes	Yes	Tuition fees apply	$2500	$4000
Certificate III in Business Frontline Management	No	No	No User Choice	$2500	$4000
Certificate IV in Business	No	No	No User Choice	$2500	$4000
Certificate IV in Business Administration	No	No	No User Choice	$2500	$4000
Certificate IV in Business Human Resources	No	No	No User Choice	$2500	$4000
Certificate IV in Business Frontline Management	No	No	No User Choice	$2500	$4000
Certificate II in Information technology	Yes	Yes	Tuition fees apply	$2500	$1375+
Certificate III in I.T. General	Yes	Yes	Tuition fees apply	$3500	$4000+
Certificate IV in I.T. (Client Support)	Yes	Yes	Tuition fees apply	$3500	$4000+
Certificate III in Education Support	No	No	No User Choice	$2500	$4000