Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy program
Thousands of New Apprentice and Trainee Jobs
The targeted wage subsidy program, as part of the Government’s National Economic Recovery Plan, is being expanded
As a result, tens of thousands of new job opportunities will be created for apprentices and trainees across Australia.
The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy program is fully subscribed, helping to create 100,000 apprenticeships in less than five months.
The Program will now become demand-driven and expanded for a full 12 months for new apprentices and trainees signed up prior to 30 September 2021.
It is estimated that this demand-driven expansion will generate around 70,000 new apprentice and trainee places, with the Government investing around $1.2 billion.
Training and skills are at the core of the Government’s response to the economic challenges faced by the COVID-19 recession.
“Creating jobs, generating economic opportunities and boosting the skills of workers right across Australia are at the heart of our National Economic Recovery Plan, as we build back from the COVID-19 recession,” the Prime Minister said.
“The National Accounts showed the comeback of the Australian economy is underway, however many businesses still need support and it’s important our apprentices and trainees get opportunities to boost their skills and stay employed.
“With 100,000 new apprenticeship positions already snapped up, it highlights the confidence businesses have in the future of the Australian economy.”
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Michaelia Cash said this will help more people into jobs.
“Growing our skills pipeline is an incredibly important part of helping our economic recovery,” Minister Cash said.
“The Boosting Apprentices Commencement program has to date assisted almost 40,000 businesses to take on a new Australian apprentice or trainee.
“This initiative has supported the creation of more than 8,000 bricklayers, 6,000 electricians, and almost 11,000 people in retail and hospitality work.
“By expanding this wage subsidy for another 12 months, we’ll be helping businesses to create even more jobs, further supporting our National Economic Recovery Plan for Australia.”
The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements was one of the COVID-19 skills measures announced as part of the $4 billion in apprentice wage subsidies.
The Government is providing record levels of support to the vocational education and training sector in 2020-21, which is not only helping rebuild our economy but preparing for the future. This includes the $1 billion JobTrainer Fund, which is supporting more than 300,000 additional free or low-fee training places for job seekers and young people.
The National Skills Commission has been established to harness contemporary data with labour market analysis to forecast the skills needs of the economy and inform the qualifications and skills Australians need to train for.
The National Careers Institute has also been funded to provide future apprentices, trainees and Australians looking to reskill or upskill with the information and support they need to take the next step in their career.