Group Training Organisations

Group Training Organisations (GTOs) support the Australian Apprenticeship system by providing employment for Australian Apprentices. GTOs employ Australian Apprentices under a training contract and place them with host employers.

An Australian Apprentice may move from one host employer to another throughout the term of their training contract. This ensures continuity of employment and enhanced quality and range of training experience for the Australian Apprentice, and also provides benefits for businesses that may otherwise be unable to employ an Australian Apprentice.

All ACT employers that seek to identify as a GTO must be registered in the ACT.

GTOs must demonstrate compliance with the National Standards for Group Training Organisations which then allows the GTO to be listed on the GTO National Register and use GTO branding.

Registered GTOs are able to:

Registering as a GTO in the ACT

Organisations may apply to register a GTO in the ACT by completing and submitting the following documents to skills@act.gov.au.

Registering as a GTO in ACT and NSW

The ACT has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NSW Government which facilitates a simplified joint registration process for:

The MoU allows the registration process to be administered by one jurisdiction, rather than both.

For detailed information about the above registration processes refer to the ACT Group Training Organisations Registration Guide - Version 3.0 (DOCX 748KB) or (PDF 333KB).

What are the roles and responsibilities of a GTO?

When a GTO is the legal employer of an Australian Apprentice the GTO is responsible for:

All Australian Apprenticeship administration is managed by the GTO.

What are the roles and responsibilities of the host employer?

A host employer is the organisation that hosts an Australian Apprentice employed by a GTO under a written host employer agreement. The host employer provides supervision and on-the-job training and pays the GTO for the Australian Apprentice’s services.

The host employer agreement specifies the responsibilities of each party in relation to the Australian Apprentice's training and the charge out rate payable including:

ACT Labour Hire Licensing Scheme

GTOs must hold a Licence to supply labour hire services in the ACT under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2020 (ACT). This licence is in addition to GTO registration through Skills Canberra.

WorkSafe ACT is responsible for administering the labour hire licensing scheme. For more information, please visit the WorkSafe ACT website.