The furnishing industry has a wide range of career opportunities available, with apprenticeships and traineeships in areas like cabinetmaking, flooring installation, and glass and glazing. Supporting completion rates across these programs is a priority for the industry, to promote a skilled and sustainable workforce.  

Click across the tabs to view active and completed project stages. Consultation takes place at every stage of the project.

As the furnishing industry is made up predominantly of small businesses without dedicated human resources roles, many employers experience barriers to providing the full range of support learners require to complete their training. This includes difficulty navigating the apprenticeship system and shifting expectations around hybrid learning and working models.  

To empower employers in their role supporting trainees and apprentices, Skills Insight and FurnishingWorks (a part of ForestWorks) are undertaking this project to develop best-practice guidance materials in consultation with stakeholders. 

The materials will be designed to: 

  • assist employers to engage with the VET system for new apprentices, particularly those from priority cohorts 
  • identify and support training and/or assessment that must occur in the workplace or equivalent environments, and establish work programs for apprentices 
  • identify supervision, mentoring, and ancillary support requirements to improve apprenticeship completion outcomes. 

A Steering Committee will be established to provide advice throughout the project, including the development of initial draft materials. The project team will contact a range of stakeholders for participation in the committee, including employers, industry associations, unions, Apprenticeship Connect Australia providers, and peak associations that represent priority cohorts.  

There will be opportunities for stakeholders to contribute throughout the project. This will include the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the draft materials. 

Once the guidance materials have been revised and finalised, they will be made freely available for employers to use. 

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Project team

Tim Cleary
Stakeholder Engagement Manager
FurnishingWorks
[email protected]

Belinda Tierney
General Manager
ForestWorks
[email protected]

Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association 
Project Delivery Partner 
[email protected] 

Timeline

PlanningAugust 2025 
DevelopmentSeptember 2025 
Broad ConsultationOctober 2025 
Consensus Gathering November 2025   
Finalisation February 2026 
Publication of materialsMarch 2026

To help employers in their role supporting trainees and apprentices, Skills Insight and FurnishingWorks (a part of ForestWorks) are consulting with stakeholders to develop a Best Practice Guide and supporting materials. 

A Steering Committee of stakeholders met on 17 September 2025 to review a draft framework for the Best Practice Guide and provide feedback on its proposed content and format. Broader stakeholder input was invited on the draft framework between 29 September and 13 October 2025 to ensure the guide and supporting tools are practical and accessible for furnishing employers.

Thank you to everyone who provided input via the form, webinars or email. Your feedback will be used to refine the Best Practice Guide Framework before the Consensus Gathering stage, during which you will have the opportunity to provide input on a draft of the Best Practice Guide.

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Best Practice Guide Framework

  1. Introduction to furnishing trades apprenticeships
  2. Why best practice matters for completion and sustainability
  3. Barriers to completion
  4. Industry sustainability and future needs
  5. Supervisor and employer checklists
  1. Legal context: training contracts, WHS, anti-discrimination
  2. Employer responsibilities
  3. Supervisor responsibilities
  4. Comparison:  employer vs supervisor roles
  5. RTO and ACAP responsibilities
  6. State Training Authority information
  7. Checklists
  1. Legal obligations under WHS and training contract
  2. Adult learning principles
  3. Seven-step coaching model
  4. Learning styles and inclusive coaching
  5. Communication strategies
  6. Conducting inductions
  7. Supervisor daily actions
  8. Scenarios and checklists
  1. Training contracts and training plans
  2. WHS duties, including psychosocial hazards
  3. Respect@Work – positive duty
  4. Right to disconnect
  5. Diversity, inclusion and culture
  6. Scenarios, checklists, and reflection questions
  1. Difference between supervision and mentoring
  2. Types of mentoring (buddy, peer, external)
  3. Supporting apprentice wellbeing
  4. Literacy and numeracy support
  5. Scenarios, checklists and reflection questions
  1. Training contract, training plan and RTO engagement
  2. Signing up apprentices (steps)
  3. Training plan as a roadmap
  4. Signing off competencies
  5. Record keeping and communication
  6. Employer vs RTO responsibilities
  7. Checklists and reflection questions
  1. Legal duty of care
  2. Support from day one (checklist)
  3. Establishing morale
  4. Ongoing support systems
  5. Priority cohorts
  6. Funding and practical supports
  7. Supervisor tips and reflection questions
  1. What makes an employer of choice
  2. Accessing funding and support (DAAWS, subsidies, mentoring programs)
  3. Cultural, physical and psychological safety
  4. Future-focused practices (technology and sustainability)
  5. Employer of choice scenarios
  6. Checklists and reflection questions
  1. Furnishing qualifications
  2. Core and elective units
  3. Skills assessed in the workplace vs classroom
  4. Training plan requirements
  5. Future skills: technology and sustainability
  6. Scenarios, checklist, and reflection questions
  1. Daily supervision log
  2. WHS checklist
  3. Apprentice progress report
  4. Feedback form
  5. Supervisor matrix
  6. Induction checklist
  1. Employer and supervisor responsibilities
  2. State/territory apprenticeship and training plan requirements
  3. Contacting RTOs and Apprenticeship Connect Australia providers
  4. Glossary of terms and acronyms
  5. Useful resources and links

A Best Practice Guide to support employers recruit and mentor trainees and apprentices is being developed as part of this project. The Guide will also support employers navigate some of the complexities in the system and become an employer of choice.

These resources are designed to be practical, accessible, and grounded in real-world experience – providing clear guidance for employers navigating their role in supporting trainees and apprentices.

Input from the project Steering Committee and stakeholder feedback gathered during Broad Consultation has been used to refine the framework for the Best Practice Guide. The revised framework now contains draft content which aims to reflect industry expectations and practical workplace realities.

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Have your say

Your input will continue to shape the guide. During Consensus Gathering, your feedback will help us:

  • review and enhance the draft content
  • confirm the practicality of proposed tools and templates
  • ensure the guide is clear, relevant and easy to implement.

Feedback will be open from 12 November to 4 December 2025.

Upcoming webinars

Two webinars will be held to present the content of the draft guide and gather final feedback.

Please register for the time that best suits you.

Wednesday 26 November, 1-3 pm (AEDT)
Thursday 27 November, 1-3 pm (AEDT)

You can also email your feedback to the project team at [email protected]

View draft content for an Employer Best Practice Guide

Click on the accordions below to view the draft content and provide feedback.

How to provide feedback

You can submit your feedback online using our Feedback Hub, where you can post comments directly on the draft document as well as view any comments from others. Your comments will remain anonymous. Only Skills Insight staff and contractors working directly on the project can identify users. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. The feedback hub is also moderated to avoid misuse.

User instructions:

  1. Select the document
  2. You will be asked to register or login (for a free account). Follow the prompts.
  3. Once logged in, you will be able to post feedback directly on the document.

Read the full User Instructions or download as a PDF.

If you’d prefer to email your feedback, you can download the Microsoft Word versions via the link at the bottom of each document group and email your feedback to [email protected]

  1. Introduction
  2. Career pathways in the furnishing sector
  3. Understanding the VET system
  4. Working with your RTO to ensure successful training
  5. Legal and compliance obligations
  6. Roles and responsibilities in the VET system
  7. Skills overview and apprenticeship completion

Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Louise Bull, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format.

  1. Recruitment, induction and probation
  2. How to sign up an apprentice

Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Louise Bull, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format.

  1. Effective supervision and coaching
  2. Mentoring and support
  3. Effective communications between supervisors and apprentices
  4. Supporting apprentices with disabilities
  5. Supporting female apprentices
  6. Supporting indigenous apprentices

Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Louise Bull, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format.

  1. Becoming an employer of choice
  2. Creating a positive workplace culture and involving apprentices

Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Louise Bull, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format.

  1. Quick Reference guide – Australian Apprenticeship Probation Periods
  2. Quick Reference Guide – Completion process by state
  3. Quick Reference Guide – Industry association contact List
  4. Quick Reference Guide – Sign up process
  5. Quick Reference Guide – Training contract extension process
  6. Quick Reference Guide – Training plan requirements
  7. Thinking About Hiring an Apprentice? Here’s How to Set Up for Success!
  8. Wellbeing check in template
  9. Work Health and Safety Policy

Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Louise Bull, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format.

This stage has not yet commenced.

At the finalisation stage, final checks are conducted and the outcomes of the project are submitted to the Department for consideration. Following this, outcomes are published or enacted.

FurnishingWorks, a part of ForestWorks, is providing support for the management of this JSC project as part of their collaborative partnership with Skills Insight. ForestWorks has an enduring and strong connection working with the forestry, timber, paper, fibre and furnishing industries and have been engaged by Skills Insight to deliver this project in partnership.