Supervision of Your Apprentice
Creating a safe, supportive, and well-supervised workplace is essential to helping apprentices develop their skills and succeed. Employers have a duty of care to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their workers and others. Meeting these responsibilities not only protects your team—it also helps maintain compliance and avoids potential regulatory action or penalties.
Supervision Requirements
Some industries specify supervision levels in their employment awards. Check the Fair Work Ombudsman website(opens in a new tab) for details.
Where requirements aren’t specified, employers should consider:
- Recognised industry supervision standards
- The apprentice’s competence and experience
- Workplace risks and task complexity
- Regular review of supervision levels
Selecting a Supervisor
Supervisors must be:
- Suitably qualified and licensed (where required)
- Permanently employed at the same workplace
- Working mostly the same hours as the apprentice
- Able to provide direct or general supervision as needed
If an approved supervisor leaves your organisation and this impacts your ability to support training, it is important to notify us. For more detail, please refer to Employer Capacity to Support Training.
Types of Supervision
Direct Supervision
Direct supervision means the supervisor is in constant visual contact and/or earshot of the apprentice. This level of supervision is typically required for first- or second-year apprentices. Electronic or remote supervision does not meet the requirements for direct supervision.
General Supervision
General supervision means the apprentice works under instruction and direction, with the supervisor performing regular checks throughout the task. The supervisor must remain on the same worksite, readily available for direct communication (not via phone). General supervision is usually suitable for third- and fourth-year apprentices, but only for tasks where competence has already been demonstrated.
Release for Training
Under the Vocational Education and Training Act 1996 (VET Act), employers must release apprentices to attend scheduled training. Failure to do so without approval requires us to notify the Apprenticeship Office, which may result in penalties.
Time spent attending training as part of the training contract is considered time worked, including for pay purposes.
When you receive the training Call Up email, you will have the opportunity to request a reschedule. Please be mindful that repeated rescheduling may delay the apprentice’s progress and put their timely completion at risk.
For more details, see our information on Scheduling (Off the Job Training) and Call Ups.