A Group Training Organisation (GTO) is a nationally registered, not-for-profit corporation established predominately to provide training and employment opportunities. GTOs must comply with the National Standards for Group Training Organisations and the State Training Services regularly checks and audits GTOs against this compliance standard.

GTOs employ apprentices and trainees and are responsible for ensuring that those employees receive suitable training and experience. To achieve this aim, the GTO will find a suitable ‘host’ employer for each apprentice or trainee to work with on a daily basis.

Apprentices and trainees employed by GTOs may spend their entire apprenticeship or traineeship with one host employer who can offer them a well-rounded training experience. Alternatively, they may be rotated around a number of host employers who can each offer a specialised area of training.

Employers who may not otherwise have been able to employ an apprentice or trainee have an opportunity to participate in the training system by hosting an apprentice or trainee for a nominated period of time.

GTOs are collectively the largest employer of apprentices and trainees that is well recognised. They provide a service that is well recognised and understood within the community, and the group training name is associated with quality services. Corporations that are recognised as GTOs in Australia will have met both state and national requirements, and are entitled to use the National Group Training logo.  TABMA has met all these standards and is a nationally registered Group Training Organisation.