Education and Training Reform Act 2006

An employer must not terminate the employment of an apprentice without having provided written notice of termination in accordance with the training contract—

to the apprentice, before the termination; and

to the Authority, within 5 days after the termination.

An employer who decides not to continue the employment of an apprentice on the completion of the approved training scheme must notify the Authority in writing of that decision.

If the employment of an apprentice is continued after the completion of the approved training scheme, that period of training must be regarded as service with the employer for the purposes of any provision made by or under any Act conferring entitlements on an employee having regard to his or her period of service.

A training contract may restrict the circumstances under which an apprentice may work overtime or shiftwork in order to ensure that the approved training scheme is satisfactorily completed.

An apprentice must not work shiftwork unless the apprentice and the employer have agreed that satisfactory provision is made for approved training under the relevant approved training scheme. Training for shiftwork employees may be applied over a cycle in excess of a week but must average over the relevant period no less than the amount of training required for non-shiftwork apprentices.

An apprentice who fails to complete the approved training scheme or who cannot for any reason be placed in full-time employment with the employer on satisfactory completion of the approved training scheme is not entitled to any severance payment payable under any termination, change and redundancy provisions or any similar provisions.