Adult apprenticeships in New Zealand

Can adults do an apprenticeship in NZ?

Yes. Tahatū, the Tertiary Education Commission’s careers service, puts it plainly: “You must be 16 or older, but there is no upper age limit.” People start apprenticeships in their twenties, thirties and later, often after a first career that did not stick.

The route is the same at any age. Tahatū says you need to find a job before you can start an apprenticeship, so the order is employer first, training second. Our guide to getting an apprenticeship walks through it.

What changes when you start an apprenticeship later?

Pay is the big one

Most apprentices aged 20 or over can legally be paid the training minimum wage of $19.16 an hour, if their employment agreement requires at least 60 credits a year of industry training. If you are coming from a job that paid more, that is a real drop, and it lasts for the length of the apprenticeship unless you negotiate otherwise. What apprentices are paid explains both legal floors.

• Work out the weekly figure on the training rate and check it covers your rent or mortgage.
• Ask for the pay progression in writing: when it goes up, and what it is tied to.
• If you supervise or train other workers, the training rate stops applying and you must be paid at least the adult minimum wage.

What you bring counts

Employers taking on an older apprentice are usually buying reliability: someone who turns up, has a driver licence, can talk to customers and will not leave after six months. Say so. Experience from another job, such as managing people, handling money or working on site, is worth putting in front of them.

Previous study can affect Fees Free

If you studied after school, check before you count on Fees Free. Inland Revenue says that in most cases it is only available if you are starting study or work-based learning for the first time. Apprenticeship fees and Fees Free has the details.

How do you convince an employer to take you on?

Make it easy for them to say yes. An employer weighing up an older apprentice is thinking about cost, time to train and whether you will stick at it.

• Mention Apprenticeship Boost: $500 a month to the employer for up to your first 12 months. Small firms often do not know it exists.
• Be clear about why you are changing careers and why this trade.
• Offer a trial day if it is safe and paid, so they can see you work.
• Look at what other apprentices say about an employer before you commit: see the company pages.

Which trades take adult apprentices?

Any trade can. What matters more is local demand where you live, and whether the trade needs a licence or registration before you can work unsupervised. The trade pages list what each trade pays once qualified, how long the training takes and what you need to start.

Common questions

Age requirement and the employer-first rule from Tahatū Career Navigator (Tertiary Education Commission) — About apprenticeships, checked 2026-10-09. Wage floors from Employment New Zealand — Minimum wage rates and types, checked 2026-09-18. Apprenticeship Boost from Work and Income, checked 2026-09-18.