Annual Leave for Apprentices and Trainees in Australia: Your Complete Guide

Published: January 2026 | Reading time: 9 minutes

Starting an apprenticeship or traineeship is an exciting step in your career, combining practical work experience with formal training. As an apprentice or trainee, you're entitled to the same annual leave benefits as other employees, though your situation has some unique aspects worth understanding. This guide explains how annual leave works during your apprenticeship or traineeship, helping you know your rights and plan your time effectively.

Whether you're just starting your apprenticeship or well into your training, understanding your leave entitlements ensures you can balance work, study, and personal life throughout your qualification journey.

Apprentices and Trainees Get Full Annual Leave Entitlements

Under the National Employment Standards, apprentices and trainees are entitled to the same annual leave as other permanent employees. Full-time apprentices and trainees accrue four weeks of paid annual leave per year. This leave accrues progressively from your first day of employment, just as it does for any other worker.

Your entitlement doesn't depend on completing your apprenticeship or reaching certain training milestones. From day one, you begin accumulating annual leave that you can use for holidays, rest, or personal matters. Many apprentices don't realize they have these rights, so understanding your entitlements early helps you plan your time off throughout your training.

Use our annual leave calculator to determine exactly how much leave you've accrued based on your start date and employment type. The calculator works for apprentices just as it does for any other employee.

How Annual Leave Accrues During Apprenticeships

Annual leave accrues based on your ordinary working hours, not just time spent at your workplace. As an apprentice or trainee, your ordinary hours include both on-the-job work with your employer and time spent attending formal training at TAFE or another registered training organization.

This is an important distinction. When you're attending block training away from your workplace, you're still accumulating annual leave because training time counts as part of your ordinary hours. Your employer pays you during training periods, and leave accrues accordingly. You don't lose entitlements just because you're in the classroom instead of the workshop.

The standard accrual rate is approximately 2.923 hours of leave per week of full-time work. Over a year, this accumulates to four weeks or 152 hours for someone working 38 hours per week. Your specific hours may vary based on your training arrangement, but the principle of progressive accrual applies throughout.

Taking Annual Leave During Your Apprenticeship

You can request annual leave at any time during your apprenticeship, subject to your employer's approval. However, timing considerations specific to apprenticeships are worth understanding. Taking leave during critical training periods or when your employer has planned specific work experiences for your development might be more disruptive than leave at other times.

Discuss your leave plans with your employer in advance. Good communication helps ensure your leave doesn't conflict with important training milestones or scheduled TAFE attendance. Most employers are happy to accommodate leave requests when given reasonable notice and the timing works operationally.

Some apprentices feel reluctant to take leave, wanting to demonstrate commitment to their training. While dedication is admirable, taking regular breaks is important for your wellbeing and actually supports better learning outcomes. Rest helps you return to work and study refreshed and ready to absorb new skills and knowledge.

Annual Leave and Training Block Schedules

Many apprenticeships involve block release training where you attend TAFE or a training provider for concentrated periods. Your annual leave is separate from this training time and shouldn't be confused with it. Training blocks are part of your work arrangement, not leave periods.

When planning annual leave, check your training calendar to avoid scheduling holidays that conflict with mandatory block training periods. Missing training can delay your qualification completion and may have consequences for your apprenticeship. Your employer and training provider should give you advance notice of training schedules to help with this planning.

If you want to take leave immediately before or after a training block, discuss this with your employer. Sometimes this timing works well as a natural break in your work routine. Other times, your employer might prefer you return to work for a period after training to apply what you've learned before taking annual leave.

Leave During School-Based Apprenticeships

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships have unique structures where students combine senior secondary education with part-time employment and training. Annual leave entitlements in these arrangements are typically pro-rata based on your actual working hours, reflecting the part-time nature of the employment.

As a school-based apprentice, you work fewer hours than a full-time apprentice, so your annual leave accrues proportionally. If you work approximately half the hours of a full-time employee, you accrue approximately half the annual leave. Our calculator can help you determine your pro-rata entitlement based on your specific hours.

Coordinating annual leave with school holidays often makes sense for school-based apprentices. Your employer may expect you to work additional hours during school holidays when you're not attending classes, so discuss how annual leave fits into these periods.

What Happens If Your Apprenticeship Ends Early

Sometimes apprenticeships end before completion, whether due to employer circumstances, a decision by you or your employer, or other factors. If your apprenticeship ends for any reason, you're entitled to payment for all accrued but untaken annual leave, just like any other employee whose employment ends.

This payout is calculated at your current pay rate and forms part of your final entitlements. Don't assume that uncompleted apprenticeships forfeit leave entitlements. The leave you've earned during your employment belongs to you regardless of whether you complete the qualification.

If you're changing employers while continuing your apprenticeship through a transfer arrangement, understand how your leave is handled. Generally, leave is paid out by your original employer, and you start accruing fresh leave with the new employer. However, some arrangements might involve leave transfer, so clarify the specifics of your situation.

Your Rights If Leave Is Denied

Employers cannot unreasonably refuse annual leave requests from apprentices any more than from other employees. If you request leave with reasonable notice for a period when your absence won't cause significant operational problems, your employer should approve it.

If your leave requests are consistently denied or you're being treated differently than other employees regarding leave, this could indicate a problem. Start by having a direct conversation with your employer about your concerns. If issues persist, you can seek advice from your training provider, Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider, Fair Work, or a union.

Remember that your status as an apprentice doesn't reduce your workplace rights. You're entitled to the same treatment as other employees, including reasonable access to your annual leave entitlements.

Planning Leave Throughout Your Apprenticeship

A typical apprenticeship lasts three to four years, during which you'll accrue significant annual leave. Planning your leave use throughout this period helps you balance rest, holidays, and personal needs with your training progression.

In your first year, you might take modest leave while settling into your new role and training routine. As you become more established, longer holiday periods become more practical. Many apprentices save leave for a significant break after completing major training milestones or during slower work periods.

Consider also that your wage typically increases as you progress through your apprenticeship. Leave taken later in your training will be paid at a higher rate than leave taken early. While this shouldn't prevent you from taking needed rest, it's a factor some apprentices consider when planning extended holidays.

Conclusion

As an apprentice or trainee in Australia, you're entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave per year, accruing from your first day of employment. This leave is yours to use for rest and recreation, subject to reasonable employer approval. Your training time counts toward leave accrual, and your status as an apprentice doesn't diminish your workplace rights.

Use our free annual leave calculator to understand your current leave balance and plan your time off accordingly. Taking regular breaks supports your wellbeing and helps you perform at your best in both work and study throughout your apprenticeship.

Your apprenticeship is an investment in your future, combining earning and learning. Annual leave is part of this package, providing the rest you need to sustain your efforts over the years of training ahead. Don't hesitate to use this entitlement. It's there to support you in successfully completing your qualification while maintaining your health and happiness along the way.