Not all apprenticeships or traineeships work out as planned, which can lead to a training contract getting cancelled or terminated. Fortunately, there are systems in place to support people in these situations.
Until recently, Western Australia’s Department of Training and Workforce Development ran the Out of Contract Register (OOCR). Introduced in June 2009, the OOCR helped individuals continue to pursue off-the-job training while they looked for a new employer contract arrangement.
However, since the launch of the Australian Apprenticeship Support Services on July 1 2015, the Commonwealth government has contracted certain providers, including BUSY At Work, to offer apprenticeship and traineeship matching services.
In Western Australia, the OOCR has been discontinued to prevent overlap with the duties of Australian Apprenticeship Support Services providers, who can now assist people directly with finding a new apprenticeship or traineeship. This can also have significant benefits for employers, who can have access to out of contract apprentices and trainees, some of whom may already have two or three years’ experience at a previous company.
The Department of Training and Workforce Development in WA will offer funding to training providers that provide off-the-job training to apprentices and trainees whose records are administratively closed on the agency’s system. The funding will be available for up to six months.
Finding a new employer
While the termination or cancellation of a contract is disappointing, you should begin the search for a new employer as quickly as possible. An excellent way to get the ball rolling is to upload your resume at Apprenticeship Central.
Apprenticeship Central is free for candidates and employers and is designed to match apprentices and trainees with employers in their area. There are numerous tools and resources available to help you secure a new contract, including FAQs and Industry Resource Packages.
If you’d like to optimise your CV to give you the best chance of finding the ideal company, use the Resume Builder and Resume Templates features to give you guidance.
Apprenticeship Central’s sophisticated search function ensures you can filter apprenticeships and traineeships according to your preferred state, region, industry and area. You can also choose the type of placement you’d prefer, whether it’s school-based, full-time or part-time.
Employers can post their vacancies or simply register with the site, allowing them to access a database of eager apprentices and trainees looking for the right on-the-job training opportunity. Registering enables businesses to enjoy the full range of services that Apprenticeship Central provides, including the ability to view our database of applicants and contact them directly.
There is advice for employers on how to prepare for the commencement of an apprenticeship or traineeship, as well as the best ways to retain employees during their training and after it’s completed.
