Legal rights and obligations

When we sign you into a Commonwealth Government Training Contract, we’ll provide you with a copy of the National Code of Good Practice for Australian Apprenticeships. This document will give you a detailed and clear understanding of your obligations and expectations.

In summary, these include:

  • Apprentice and trainee obligations
    • Be aware of and make a commitment to fulfil work responsibilities
    • Be aware of and make a commitment to fulfil training responsibilities
  • Employer obligations
    • Meet all legal obligations
    • Provide a safe working environment
    • Support structured training
    • Provide supervision and support
    • Advise apprentices and trainees of their rights and responsibilities

MEGT’s responsibilities

We are facilitating the Training Contract, which means we also have obligations and expectations.

These are covered under the Australian Apprenticeship Support Services Code of Conduct which we will also supply to you, and include:  

  • Guarantee of service

    As your Apprentice Connect Provider, we have a guarantee of service that:

    • The advice we provide will be accurate and reliable,
    • We will keep up-to-date with detailed knowledge of Federal and State Government requirements,
    • We will be prompt in our response to customer enquiries and needs, and
    • We will actively support and promote the opportunities provided through the Australian Apprenticeship Support Services program
  • Privacy and confidentiality

    As well as adhering to the National Code of Good Practice and our guarantee of service, we are also required to meet all legal obligations regarding the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. These are outlined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

    Information held by MEGT about you could include your name, current and previous addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, as well as details of transactions (claims) we have processed for you.

    We will only disclose information about you to others as per our Privacy Policy or where required by law. These people or organisations may include:

    • Your authorised representative or legal advisors
    • Government and statutory authorities, where required by law - for example, the reporting of Government Incentives for a registered trainee
    • Third parties, such as MEGT agencies including but not limited to research, data, digital and other marketing and mail houses

    We will take all reasonable steps to ensure the information we hold, use, and where appropriate disclose to others about you is correct and current.

    The accuracy of this information depends largely upon you providing us with current details and ensuring you let us know if there are any changes we need to make to your personal information.

    You have the right to access any information we may hold about you, subject to some restrictions listed in Federal Government Legislation.

    If you have any questions relating to privacy or the storage of information, please contact us.

Group Training apprentices and trainees - rights and obligations 

MEGT is a registered Group Training Organisation (GTO). If you are successful in obtaining an apprenticeship or traineeship advertised by our recruitment team, MEGT will be your legal employer and we will place you with a Host Employer (see Host Employer section).

  • This link outlines the role of a GTO as well as our obligations.
  • This link outlines the rights and obligations of an apprentice or trainee.
  • Employment conditions

    If you are successful in obtaining a position with MEGT, you will be required to sign an employment agreement and a Training Contract (see Training section). The terms and conditions of your employment will be based on the relevant award used by your Host Employer.

    Further information about employment conditions can be found here.

  • Host Employer

    This is the organisation where you will undertake your daily work and on-the-job training.

  • Training

    Your apprenticeship or traineeship involves formal training which can be completed both on and off the job. It is a requirement of your employment with MEGT that you commit to the training period and completion of your training requirements. If you have undertaken previous study or have prior work experience, you may be granted credit towards your apprenticeship or traineeship qualification (see Recognition of Prior Learning section).

    When you are signed up as an apprentice or trainee, you will enrol with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) who will deliver your training. Your RTO will also have you and MEGT (as your legal employer) sign a training plan which outlines the training to be undertaken and the period when each module will be completed.

    This document also includes the obligations of you, MEGT, and your RTO when it comes to your training.

    Training plans are compulsory and it is the obligation of all parties to ensure the plan is closely monitored and referred to throughout the apprenticeship or traineeship.

  • Support services

    Looking for work or starting a new job can feel overwhelming – but they don’t have to be!

    The following services are available to provide you with support throughout your job seeking and employment journey.

  • Health, safety and environment

    Commitment

    The health and safety of our workers is our highest priority and I am committed to leading our organisation to achieve our vision to Think Safe, Work Safe, Live Safe, with the ultimate aim for our workforce to arrive Home Safe each and every day.

    The Board and Executive Leadership Team are committed to providing the leadership and resources needed to develop and increase the health and safety knowledge of our workforce and to the implementation of our long term Health and Safety Strategy and annual business plans to achieve our vision.

    A dedicated team of health and safety professionals has been appointed to lead us on our health and safety journey.  This dedicated team also has the responsibility for injury prevention and effective injury management.  We are committed to assisting injured workers to remain at work and return to work as soon as they are capable, by assisting them with rehabilitation and workers compensation management.

    We believe that all incidents are preventable when we do things right, meaning we have the proper leadership, behaviour, and systems at the core of our culture. We are making a difference in preventing incidents by managing what we can control before an incident occurs, carefully investigating incidents to help avoid repeating them and working with our host employers to develop safe workplace environments. 

    People are our greatest asset, and every worker has the right to arrive Home Safe every day, that’s why at MEGT health and safety is at the forefront of everything we do.

    Matthew Hick
    Chief Executive Officer
    MEGT (Australia) Ltd

  • Further information

    If you are new to apprenticeships and traineeships, you may not be familiar with some of the terms that are used. Here are some of the most common terms you will come across and their definitions.

    Recognition of Prior Learning – RPL

    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process where a student may be granted credit or partial credit towards a qualification in recognition of skills and knowledge gained through work experience, life experience and/or formal training.

    Competency-based

    Australian Apprenticeships are competency-based, which means completion can occur at any stage as long as all parties – employer, apprentice or trainee, and Registered Training Organisation – agree that the required skills (competencies) have been achieved.

Your rights and obligations during your apprenticeship or traineeship

As an apprentice or trainee, you should be treated the same as any other employee in your workplace. If you feel you're being treated unfairly, it's important you take action as soon as possible. This may be difficult, but doing so will give you the best chance at working through the problem.

Remember - your Training Contract is a legally binding document. This means your employer is required to adhere to their legal responsibilities which include:

  • Ensuring you have time to complete relevant on-the-job training or that you're released from work to attend formal training at TAFE/trade school when required
  • Signing your training record as a record of your progress and achievements
  • Not changing or cancelling your Training Contract without your consent

In these circumstances, your first step should always be to try to discuss the issue with your Manager or your trainer (whichever is appropriate). If the issue can't be resolved, your local MEGT consultant is always here to help and can be contacted any time for support and guidance.

Apprentice Connect Provider

Sign up an apprentice or trainee, assistance with Government incentives, and general enquiries about the Australian Apprenticeships program.