Apprenticeships & Traineeships

An Apprenticeship and Traineeship is a partnership between the student, their employer and the Registered Training Organisation (First Door). We work together towards you achieving a Nationally recognised qualification in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Your workplace supervisor supports your 'on-the-job' training, and you are paid by your employer to participate in 'off-the-job' training with First Door.

First Door is dedicated to developing inspired, knowledagble, skilled and valued educators

The benefits for students

- FREE apprenticeships for people under 25 years - $0 course fees!
- apprentices and trainees over 25 years are charged a student co-contribution fee, instead of the full unit fee
- paid study time to complete training and assessment for 8 hours per unit
- Training support payments: paid over 2 years and up to $5,000 for full time apprentices and trainees, and up to $2,500 for part time apprentices and trainees.
- a supportive training partnership with your employer and First Door as the RTO (keep scrolling down for full information!)

The benefits for employers:

As from 1 July 2024, the Priority Hiring Incentive is paid in the first year of an apprenticeship, over two instalments, totalling:
$5,000 for full time apprentices and trainees
Incentive payments of:
- $2,000 at 6 months and
- $3,000 at 12 months.

$2,500 for part time apprentices & trainees
Incentive payments of:
- $1,000 at 6 months and
- $1,500 at 12 months.
The part-time payment rate is applied as a flat rate regardless of part-time hours worked in any given Claim period. No one employer can claim more than one years’ worth of the Priority Hiring Incentive for one Australian Apprenticeship.

Read First Door's Apprenticeship & Traineeship Employer information with full details of the benefits and responsibilities

Subsided Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Queensland

The User Choice Program is funded by the Queensland Government, and provides the following subsided training options for apprentices and trainees:

Free Apprenticeships for Under 25s - until 31 December 2024

If you are under 25, this funding covers the full cost of training for apprentices and trainees who commence or are undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship until 31 December 2024, for the Certificate lll in Early Childhood Education and Care, OR the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care qualification. This means you pay $0 to complete your Early Childhood career qualification!

TRAINEESHIP for the Certificate lll in Early Childhood Education and Care

Employment: Trainees must be employed, as a minimum, on part time contract for 15 hours per week.

Fee free: Complete your traineeship fee-free if you are under 25 years of age.

Student Contribution Fees: If you are over 25 years of age, student contribution fees are charged at $1.60 per nominal hour for each unit in the CHC30121 Certificate lll in ECEC qualification.
The total course cost for 17 units is $1,980.80.

These fees are able to be paid by a monthly payment plan or as agreed at enrolment in your arranged fee payment plan.
The employer is able to pay these fees on the trainee's behalf by completing a fees payment agreement form.
40% concessional student contribution fees apply to eligible trainees, with total course cost: $792.32,

See full details about Traineeship information and fees.

Enrol as a Trainee here

SCHOOL-BASED TRAINEESHIP for the Certificate lll in Early Childhood Education and Care

Fee-free for Year 10 - Year 12 school students undertaking a school-based traineeship to complete this qualification.

Employment: School-based trainees usually work 7.5 hours per week in paid employment in a licensed early childhood service.

These hours may be averaged over a 3 month period. Over the period of a year, the employer must provide at a minimum the equivalent of 375 hours (50 days) of paid employment.
They must have met the minimum paid employment requirement, over 24 months nominal completion duration - 100 days minimum (750 hours) to complete this traineeship.

Section 120 of the National Regulations requires the approved provider of a centre-based service must ensure that any educator at the service who is under 18 years of age:

(a) does not work alone at the service; and
(b) is adequately supervised at all times by an educator who has attained the age of 18 years.

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APPRENTICESHIP for the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

Employment: Apprentices must be employed, as a minimum, on part time contract for 15 hours per week.

Fee free: Complete your apprenticeship fee-free if you are under 25 years of age.

Fees: If you are over 25 years of age, student contribution fees are charged at $1.60 per nominal hour for each unit in the CHC50121 Diploma of ECEC qualification.
The total course cost for 15 units is $2,044.80.

These fees are able to be paid by a monthly payment plan or as agreed at enrolment in your arranged fee payment plan.
The employer is able to pay these fees on the trainee's behalf by completing a fees payment agreement form.
40% concessional student contribution fees apply to eligible apprentices, with total course cost: $817.92.

See full details about Apprenticeship information and fees.

Enrol as an Apprentice here

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Who else is involved in an apprenticeship or traineeship program?

First Door as the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and Skills Assure Supplier
First Door is Skills Assure Supplier, approved through the Queensland Government Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT) to provide subsidised:

Apprenticeship training in the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Traineeship training for Certificate lll in Early Childhood Education and Care

Your employer and workplace supervisor
Your employer needs to agree to your part-time or full-time employment; and, to provide the workplace resources, experiences and supervision for your ‘on-the-job training’.

Your workplace supervisor will support First Door in developing your practical skills at work. A workplace supervisor must be qualified to Diploma level, and be able to observe your related skills in the workplace before they are able to provide evidence of your practical skills in your training record folder.

Apprentice Connect Provider
An Apprentice Connect Provider is your first point of contact for all queries about apprenticeships. They are contracted businesses by the Department of Education, Skill and Employment (e.g. MEGT, MAS, and Busy at Work) and arrange your apprenticeship or traineeship contract, with you, First Door, and your employer. The Apprentice Connect Provider also monitors your apprenticeship progress.

Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT)
DESBT fund the Apprenticeship program and ensure all regulations are met in your training experience.