Advice and Instructions

Fees payable to attend formal training

Issued: 1 April 2004

Award Requirements

Traineeship Fees
There are no provisions in any NSW traineeship training wage awards relating to payment or reimbursement by employers of fees charged by RTOs to deliver formal traineeship training.

Apprenticeship Fees
There are a number of NSW state awards (Attachment A - PDF 49KB) andfederal awards (Attachment B - PDF 47KB) which provide for employers to pay or reimburse fees charged by RTOs to deliver formal apprenticeship training.

In addition the NSW Office of Industrial Relations (O.I.R.) has pointed out that (Attachment C - PDF 53KB) is a standard training clause that appears in many awards. This standard clause generally applies to existing employees and covers additional training and contains reference to employers paying fees for prescribed courses. It also indicates that industrial parties are of the view that the employer is responsible for the payment of fees.

While the above is offered by way of indicative general advice, enquiries by or on behalf of employers concerning fee payment or reimbursement provisions applying to a particular workplace or industry should be directed to the OIR, Award Enquiry Service on 13 16 28, or the Federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) on 1300 363 264.

Other Resources:

• NSW State Awards (PDF 49KB)
• Federal Awards (PDF 47KB)
• Standard training clause (PDF 53KB)

Approved by the Commissioner for Vocational Training