Are your former apprentices properly licensed to work?
When an apprentice completes their time, your obligations as their employer don’t end there. Under the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991, electrical contractors must take all reasonable steps to ensure that any former apprentice carrying out electrical work is appropriately licensed.
Regulation 50AB allows a former apprentice to continue working only if:
✅ They still hold a valid electrician’s training licence (which expires three months after their apprenticeship ends); and
✅ They have applied for their electrician’s licence.
While their licence is being processed, supervision must continue — just as it did during the apprenticeship. These requirements are set out in Regulations 50 and 50AA, and the Safe working guidelines for electrical workers and apprentices.
If the training licence expires and the electrician’s licence has not yet been granted, the worker becomes unlicensed — and must immediately stop carrying out electrical work.
As the electrical contractor, it’s your responsibility to:
- Track licence expiry dates
- Confirm that licence applications have been submitted
- Maintain proper supervision
📄 Download the fact sheet: Obtaining an Electrician’s Licence on completion of an apprenticeship
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