Apprenticeships in the Northern Territory: incentives, fees and where to start

Who runs apprenticeships in the NT

Apprenticeships in the NT run under the Training and Skills Development Act 2016. The government side sits with Skills NT in the NT Department of Education and Training. If you see older pages naming the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade or the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation, that is the same job under an older department name.

Day to day, your first point of contact is Apprenticeships NT, the Apprentice Connect Australia provider for the whole Territory. It is run by GTNT Group (Top End Group Training) under a contract with the NT and Australian governments. It signs you up, registers your training contract, handles changes and cancellations, and processes NT payments like the travel subsidy and workwear bonus.

• •Your employer must register your training contract with Apprenticeships NT within 28 days of your start date.
• •The NT probation period is three months from your start date. After that, you and your employer are both bound by the contract.
• •If you are under 18, a parent or guardian has to sign the training contract.
• •Your training provider registers your training plan with Apprenticeships NT.
• •Apprenticeships NT has offices in Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. Check the live contact page for current addresses.

What training costs in the NT (as at October 2026)

The NT does not have a blanket fee-free apprenticeship scheme like NSW or Queensland. Instead, apprenticeship training is funded through the NT User Choice program: the NT Government pays most of the cost straight to your training provider and you pay a student tuition fee. At Charles Darwin University (CDU) in 2026, that tuition is charged at $3.85 per nominal hour for Certificate I to IV, before any exemption.

As a real example, CDU lists the 2026 Certificate III in Electrotechnology (Electrician) at $4,350.50 to $5,043.50 across the whole apprenticeship for an NT Government supported place, against a full fee of over $15,000. These are indicative figures that change every year, so check the live course page. Ask your employer early whether they will cover or reimburse your fees, because many do and it is worth having in writing.

• •Tuition fee exemptions at CDU (NT Government subsidised places only) include: Centrelink or Veterans' Affairs benefit recipients, enrolled secondary school students, students living in NT Government 'Remote 2' locations, and permanent residents with refugee or humanitarian status. You must show proof at enrolment or you get charged.
• •To get a subsidised place you generally need to be an NT resident and an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible visa holder. Places are limited.
• •Fee-Free TAFE places are jointly funded by the NT and Australian governments through CDU and Batchelor Institute, mainly for people new to a course. CDU's 2026 intake is closed and 2027 courses are listed as coming soon. Check the live page before you enrol.
• •Recognition of prior learning at CDU carries a $295 non-refundable application fee in 2026.

Travel and accommodation subsidy for block training

This is the big one in the Territory. If your trade school is not near your home or workplace, the NT Apprenticeship and Traineeship Travel and Accommodation Subsidy Scheme chips in towards getting you there and putting a roof over your head. It is a partial contribution only: you or your employer cover the rest, so sort out with your boss who pays what before your first block.

These are the rates published on the NT Government pages as at October 2026. Check the live page before you book, as rates can change.

• •Who: apprentices and trainees whose training is funded under the NT User Choice program (check with your RTO), plus out-of-trade apprentices with a suspended or cancelled contract for up to 12 months.
• •Driving: 50 cents per kilometre for trips over 50km one way.
• •Bus: the bus fare for one-way trips of 50km to 1,000km.
• •Flying: an airfare subsidy based on discounted fares, worked out by Apprenticeships NT.
• •Transfers between the airport or bus terminal and your accommodation: $33 within the NT, $55 interstate.
• •Accommodation: $700 for a full seven-day week, plus $100 for each extra day after that first week.
• •Limits: up to four claims per calendar year, with a separate claim for each training block.
• •Timing: you can lodge a claim from six weeks before your training up to six months after it, through Apprenticeships NT.
• •School-based apprentices and trainees cannot claim for interstate training.

Other NT support you can claim right now

Only schemes confirmed on official NT pages are listed here. If someone tells you about an NT tool grant or a cash bonus that is not below, check with Apprenticeships NT before you count on it.

• •Workwear and workgear bonus: first-year apprentices and trainees on a registered NT training contract (Certificate II or higher) can get $300, or $1,000 if your trade is on the NT skilled occupation priority list. If you move into a priority trade after getting the $300, you can get a $700 top-up. You do not apply separately: it is triggered when your training contract is submitted. You can choose to have it paid to your employer, RTO or a community organisation to buy your gear, but you need to say so when you sign your contract. Residency and visa rules apply, so check the live page.
• •Travel and accommodation subsidy: see the section above.
• •Apprentice support and mentoring: Apprenticeships NT can link you to mentoring and to national incentives and payments on top of the NT ones. Ask at sign-up.
• •National payments like the federal apprentice incentives are separate from the NT schemes and are covered on apprenticeships.gov.au.

Employer incentives in the NT

These go to your boss, not you, but they make hiring an apprentice cheaper, so they are worth knowing if you are chasing a start.

• •Payroll tax: from 1 July 2025, wages paid to apprentices and eligible trainees are exempt from NT payroll tax. A trainee already working for the same employer for 3 months or more full-time (or 12 months or more part-time or casual) before the traineeship started does not count. The tax-free threshold also rose to $2.5 million on that date, so most small NT businesses do not pay payroll tax at all.
• •Regional and remote employer incentive: the NT has run a $3,000 payment for regional and remote employers taking on a new apprentice or trainee, capped at 10 per employer, since December 2022. Ask Apprenticeships NT whether it is still open, as no current end date is published.
• •Aboriginal Workforce Grants: NT businesses, Aboriginal corporations and not-for-profits can apply for funding for mentoring, workforce development and wrap-around support that helps Aboriginal people get and keep jobs, including apprentices. Applications are open any time.

Pay and conditions

The NT has no state industrial relations system for private employers. Generally every employer and employee in the Territory is covered by the national Fair Work system, so your pay comes from the national award for your trade (like the Electrical, Plumbing or Building and Construction award) or from your employer's enterprise agreement (EBA) if it has one. An EBA has to leave you better off overall than the award.

We do not list apprentice pay rates here because they change every July and depend on your year, your age, whether you finished Year 12 and your award. Use the Fair Work Pay Calculator at https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/ to get the right rate. Check whether your award or EBA pays a living-away or fares allowance for block training, because some do on top of the NT subsidy.

Licensing and safety

The NT does licensing a bit differently from the eastern states, so know which body looks after your trade.

• •Electrical: since 1 July 2024, electrical licences are issued by the Electrical Safety Regulator inside NT WorkSafe under the Electrical Safety Act 2022. The old Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board no longer exists, so ignore its forms. Electrical apprentices need an NT apprentice registration (the Apprentice Training Licence, known as the Red Card) before CDU will enrol you. You must be employed by a licensed electrical worker, pass a colour identification test and work under supervision for your whole apprenticeship.
• •Plumbing and drainage: the NT Plumbers and Drainers Licensing Board looks after you. Once you finish your plumbing and draining apprenticeship (Certificate III in Plumbing) you can apply for journeyman registration, which lets you work under an advanced tradesman and supervise apprentices but not contract in your own right. Gas fitting is licensed by NT WorkSafe, and the NT has no separate roof plumbing or mechanical services licence.
• •Building: the Building Practitioners Board registers building contractors and other building practitioners. Getting registered as a residential builder later on takes a Certificate IV in Building and Construction or equivalent plus practical experience, including time in the Territory.
• •Unsafe work: NT WorkSafe is the safety regulator. If someone's health or safety is at immediate risk, call NT WorkSafe on 1800 019 115. For non-urgent issues, raise it with your supervisor first, then use the online safety concern form if it is not fixed. NT WorkSafe will not reveal who made the report without your consent.

Where to train

Charles Darwin University is the Territory's main public trade training provider. It runs TAFE-level apprenticeships across construction, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, automotive (light and heavy vehicle, mobile plant, panel beating, auto electrical), metal fabrication, refrigeration and air conditioning, civil construction, commercial cookery, baking, hairdressing and more. Most trade training is block release: you get a call-up letter and do two-week blocks on campus.

Some trades are not taught in the NT and you will train interstate. That is when the travel and accommodation subsidy matters most.

• •CDU Casuarina (Darwin) is the main trades hub, with a dedicated Trades Training Centre. The electrician apprenticeship runs at Casuarina and Alice Springs, and the plumbing apprenticeship also runs at Casuarina and Alice Springs.
• •CDU also has campuses in Alice Springs, Palmerston and Katherine. Ask which campus delivers your trade.
• •CDU Apprentice Administration: (08) 8946 7540, apprentices@cdu.edu.au.
• •Batchelor Institute focuses on training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, often delivered in or near home communities, and offers Fee-Free TAFE places alongside CDU.
• •GTNT Group is the Territory's largest group training organisation. As a GTO it employs you and places you with host businesses, with offices in Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. Group training is a good option if you cannot find a direct employer.
• •Private RTOs also deliver some trade and civil qualifications. Check any provider is NT User Choice funded before you sign, or you may miss out on the subsidy and the travel scheme.

School-based apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships

NT students can start a trade while still at school. A school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SBAT) combines paid work, VET and your school studies or NTCET. You are employed and paid a wage. VET for Secondary Students (VETfSS) is the other option: you can enrol from Year 9 and the units count towards your NTCET.

If you are out of school and want to test a trade first, CDU runs entry-level Certificate II courses that lead into an apprenticeship.

• •SBAT rules: you must be at least 15, be able to do at least 48 days of paid work a year from your start date, and have your principal's endorsement. Talk to your school's VET coordinator or careers adviser.
• •Certificate II in Construction Pathways at CDU: 2026 indicative NT Government supported fee of $1,078, leading into carpentry and other building trades.
• •Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Career Start) at CDU: four two-week blocks over a year, 2026 indicative supported fee of $1,640.10 to $1,717.10.
• •NT WorkSafe's Young Worker Program sends inspectors into schools to talk safety before you start on the tools.

Where the work is

The NT is short on tradies almost across the board, and big projects all want the same workers. Defence base upgrades across the Top End, gas and resources projects, remote housing and community infrastructure, and the everyday repair and maintenance work in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs all keep demand high. The NT Government keeps its own skilled occupation priority list, and if your trade is on it you get the bigger $1,000 workwear bonus.

In Central Australia, CDU has flagged plumbing, metal work and diesel automotive as ongoing shortage trades. Electricians, heavy diesel fitters, refrigeration mechanics and auto electricians are also hard for NT employers to find. Regional and remote work often pays allowances and is a fast way to get broad experience, so do not write off a start outside Darwin.

Who to call, and changing or cancelling your contract

Got a problem with your apprenticeship? Talk to Apprenticeships NT first. Any change to your training contract, like switching between full-time and part-time, changing your training provider or moving to a new employer, needs a written request signed by both you and your employer and endorsed by your RTO. Cancellations go through Apprenticeships NT, and the Training and Skills Development Act 2016 also lets the department suspend contracts, approve transfers to a new employer and resolve disputes, with a review process if you disagree with a decision.

Do not just walk off the job. Your contract stays live until it is formally cancelled or transferred, which can stop you signing with a new employer.

• •Apprenticeships NT (Apprentice Connect Australia provider): Darwin (08) 8935 8200, Katherine (08) 8965 1200, Alice Springs (08) 8955 6955, Tennant Creek (08) 8955 6990, aasnservices@gtntgroup.com.au. Check the live contact page.
• •Fair Work Ombudsman (pay, leave, unfair treatment): 13 13 94 or fairwork.gov.au.
• •NT WorkSafe (unsafe work, electrical and gas licensing): 1800 019 115.
• •CDU Apprentice Administration (training, call-ups, fees): (08) 8946 7540.
• •NT Plumbers and Drainers Licensing Board and the Building Practitioners Board for plumbing and building registration questions.