Apprentice Wage Rates in Queensland (2026)

Dave runs Coastline Plumbing & Gas out of a shed in Bundaberg — six tradesmen, two utes that need replacing, and a phone that doesn't stop ringing. Last February he sat down with his bookkeeper to cost out putting on a first-year apprentice. He'd heard from a mate in Hervey Bay that apprentice wages had "gone up again", and he wanted a real number before he advertised. Two hours later, with the Plumbing Award open on one screen and the ATO PAYG tables on another, Dave had a budget — but he also had a headache. The jump between year 3 and year 4 was bigger than he'd remembered, the school-based rates were different again, and the local Group Training Organisation (GTO) had quoted him a charge-out rate that made his eyes water.

If you're hiring an apprentice in Queensland in 2026, Dave's afternoon is a familiar one. This guide walks through what the wage rates actually look like by year and by trade, the discounts for school-based apprentices, how Modern Award trainee rates differ, why the year-3-to-year-4 jump catches employers out, where to find the current pay schedule each July, and what you're really paying when you hire through a GTO instead of directly.

The structure: how apprentice wages are set in Queensland

Almost every apprentice in Queensland is paid under a federal Modern Award — the Building and Construction General On-site Award, the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award, the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award, the Manufacturing and Associated Industries Award, the Vehicle Repair Award, and so on. State minimums only apply to the small handful of workers not covered by a federal instrument. So the first thing to know is that "Queensland apprentice rates" really means "the federal award rate, paid to an apprentice working in Queensland."

Each award expresses apprentice wages as a percentage of the qualified tradesperson's rate at the C10 (or equivalent) classification. The standard progression — used in most trades — is roughly 55% in year 1, 65% in year 2, 75% in year 3 and 90% in year 4. But there are two important variants. Adult apprentices (21 and over when they start) are paid at a higher floor, usually the C13 or C12 rate, which can be 80% or more of the tradesperson rate from day one. And apprentices who've completed Year 12 generally get bumped up one wage progression point — a Year 12 leaver starts on year-2 money, not year-1 money. That single fact is worth real dollars to an apprentice and worth knowing if you're trying to attract a school leaver with good marks.

Wages are reviewed each year by the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review, with the new rates taking effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. So your 2026 numbers will move again on 1 July 2026 — budget for it.

2026 weekly rates by trade and year

The figures below are indicative ordinary-hours weekly rates for 38 hours, based on the Modern Award structure as it applies in the 2025–26 financial year. They exclude allowances (tools, travel, fares, leading-hand), overtime, super, workers' comp and any over-award payments. Always check the current pay guide before you finalise an offer — more on that below.

Electrical apprentices

A first-year electrical apprentice in 2026 sits around the $570–$610 a week mark for ordinary hours, climbing through roughly $700 in year 2, $860 in year 3 and over $1,000 a week in year 4. The Electrical Award also requires a tool allowance and, in many cases, an industry allowance on top. If you're hiring a third or fourth-year sparky who can already run small jobs, look at the apprentice year-3 sparky roles currently being advertised in Queensland to benchmark what other contractors are offering above award.

Plumbing apprentices

Plumbing tracks closely to electrical, with year-1 weekly rates in the high $500s and year-4 rates north of $1,000. The Plumbing Award builds in slightly different allowance structures (asbestos, confined space, sewer work), which add up quickly on commercial sites. Master Plumbers' Association of Queensland members can pull the consolidated wage sheet from mpaq.com.au, and the Master Electricians equivalent is at master-electricians.com.au — both are worth the subscription if you're running a payroll across multiple apprentices.

Carpentry, cabinet-making and general construction

Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award, a year-1 carpentry apprentice is around the mid-$500s a week, with progressions to roughly $1,050 in year 4. The site allowance and follow-the-job loading apply once they're on commercial jobs, and they add real money to the weekly cost.

Diesel fitters, auto and mechanical trades

Mechanical apprentices fall under the Manufacturing and Associated Industries Award (for workshop-based work) or the Vehicle Repair Award. Year 1 starts in the low-to-mid $500s and the year-4 rate is just under $900 for a manufacturing apprentice — lower than the construction trades because the underlying tradesperson rate is set lower. For mining-related fitter roles, the picture changes entirely because many sites pay enterprise agreement rates well above award; see what's on offer in mine fitter jobs in Mackay for a sense of what experienced fourth-years are commanding in the Bowen Basin.

School-based apprentices: why the cost is so much lower

A school-based apprentice (SBA) is typically a Year 11 or 12 student who splits their week between school, paid work with you, and off-the-job training. Under most awards, an SBA is paid for the hours they actually work plus 25% loading in lieu of paid training time — they don't get paid for school days or for the time they're at TAFE. In practical terms, an SBA might cost you $200–$300 a week while they're at school, scaling up during school holidays when they work more hours.

The other quirk: time spent as an SBA counts towards the apprenticeship, but at a discounted rate (often 1 day's SBA work = a fraction of a full-time apprentice day). When they finish school and convert to full-time, they slot into the wage progression based on competencies completed, not calendar months elapsed. The full set of rules — including how training contracts are registered — is on the Queensland Government's apprenticeships and traineeships pages, and it's worth a read before you sign anyone up.

SBAs work brilliantly for some businesses (a residential builder taking on a Year 11 kid two days a week) and terribly for others (a flat-out commercial mob who need someone on the tools five days from day one). If the second sounds like you, browse apprentice jobs already advertised on ATQ to see how other employers are framing full-time positions.

Trainee rates vs apprentice rates: don't confuse them

A trainee is doing a Certificate II or III qualification under a traineeship (think business admin, civil construction operations, retail, warehousing) — typically 12 to 24 months, not the 3-to-4 years of an apprenticeship. Trainees are paid under the National Training Wage schedule in their relevant Modern Award, and the rates are calculated by age and year of schooling completed, not by year of progression in the trade.

A 17-year-old trainee who hasn't finished Year 12 might earn around $400–$450 a week. An adult trainee (21+) on a Certificate III is closer to $700–$750. These rates are generally lower than apprentice rates, which is why some employers in adjacent industries (civil, plant operations, warehousing) prefer traineeships when the role doesn't require a licensed trade. If you're hiring labourers or operators rather than tradies, look at how day-rate and labour-hire jobs are being structured before you commit to a training contract — sometimes a casual hire is the better answer.

The year-3-to-year-4 jump that catches employers out

Here's where Dave from Bundaberg got stung. In most awards, the progression from year 3 to year 4 is the biggest single jump — from 75% to 90% of the tradesperson rate. That's a 20% increase in ordinary-hours pay overnight, plus the apprentice has usually unlocked their full tool allowance and is doing more billable work without a supervisor standing over them.

For an electrical or plumbing apprentice, that jump is roughly $140 a week in base wages alone, before super, leave accruals and workers' comp. Multiply by two or three apprentices ticking over to year 4 in the same quarter and you've got a $20,000-a-year hit to your wages bill that you absolutely need to see coming.

The flip side: a fourth-year is close to a tradesperson in productivity. If they're competent, they should be billing out at a rate that more than covers the increase. The danger is the fourth-year who's been carried — paying 90% for 60% productivity is the fastest way to go backwards. Make the call honestly at the end of year 3.

Where to find the current pay schedule

The single best source is the Fair Work Ombudsman's award pay guide — go to fairwork.gov.au, find your award, and download the PDF pay guide. It's updated each July, lists every classification and apprentice year, and shows the allowances. It's free, it's authoritative, and it's the document you want to be able to point to if you ever get audited.

For Queensland-specific compliance — workers' comp categories, work health and safety obligations for young workers, training contract registration — cross-reference with WorkCover Queensland and the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training. Subscribe to your industry association's wage bulletin too; they package the changes in plain English the week before they take effect.

GTOs and labour-hire mark-ups: what you're really paying

A Group Training Organisation is the apprentice's legal employer; you host them and pay the GTO an hourly charge-out rate that covers wages, super, workers' comp, public holidays, sick leave, training fees, PPE and the GTO's margin. In 2026, expect to pay somewhere between $32 and $48 an hour for a first-year apprentice through a GTO, scaling up to $55–$70 an hour for a fourth-year, depending on trade and region.

Compare that to direct employment, where the all-up cost of a first-year (wages plus 11.5% super, workers' comp, leave, training fees) typically lands around $22–$26 an hour. The GTO mark-up — roughly 40–60% — is buying you flexibility (hand them back if work dries up), risk transfer (they manage the training contract, the TAFE relationship, and the awkward conversations) and admin (no payroll setup for someone who might only be with you 12 months).

For a small builder running one apprentice through their full term, direct employment almost always wins on cost. For a contractor with lumpy work, multiple sites, or a first-time apprentice host, the GTO premium can be money well spent. Mining and resources employers often go GTO almost exclusively — when you're scaling up and down with project phases, the flexibility matters more than the hourly cost. If that's your world, the rates and structures advertised in mining and FIFO jobs across Queensland will give you a current benchmark.

Putting a real budget together

Dave's final number for that first-year plumbing apprentice came to roughly $48,000 a year fully loaded — wages, super, workers' comp, leave, PPE, training fees, and the inevitable productivity discount in the first six months. He decided to hire direct, advertised the role himself, and had a kid on the tools within a fortnight. The year-3-to-year-4 jump still sits in his diary as a reminder to lift his charge-out rate before it lands.

Whether you go GTO or direct, the maths only works if you know the real number before you advertise. Pull the current pay guide, add the on-costs honestly, plan for the year-4 step-up, and you'll know exactly what you're signing up for. When you're ready, post a job on ATQ and put the role in front of the right Queensland candidates.