Below is some information on the various initiatives the Federal Government announced last week. This information has been copied from a media release. In South Australia, there are 2 apprenticeship brokers to choose from to sign up a new apprentice or get advice about the new incentives:
MEGT: 136 348
| aasninfo@megt.com.au |
| www.megt.com.au |
MAS National: 1300 627 628
| info@masnational.com.au |
| www.masnational.com.au |
We are expecting an increase in the number of people looking to hire apprentices. It can be difficult to find candidates who hold drivers licenses and have a car. If you would be willing to employ an apprentice who is the process of getting their P plates, please contact us on 8367 5615. If you would also consider hiring an unlicensed apprentice who lived in close vicinity to you or your team, please let us know the area you would consider recruiting from. Employers may also consider the option to employ adult apprentices and utilise the governments’ wage subsidy to reduce the higher pay rate.
We will be running a recruitment drive in December 2021 to try to increase the number of applicants we have to recommend.
JobMaker Plan
The Government’s $74 billion JobMaker Plan is a key element of the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan for Australia, designed to support a stronger economic recovery and bring more Australians back to work. Creating jobs and boosting the skills of Australians to help them get back into work is at the heart of the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan for Australia. The JobMaker Plan consists of a number of measures designed to boost economic growth, create jobs, invest in our future industries and skills, remove red tape, guarantee essential services and restore confidence in a stronger recovery. See the full suite of initiatives under the JobMaker plan at https://budget.gov.au/2020-21/content/jobmaker.htm
Skills and Training Initiatives under the JobMaker Plan include:
To get more people the skills they need and to support job seekers back into work, the Australian Government will fund 100,000 new apprenticeships through the $1.2 billion Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy. It will be paid to businesses of any size who take on new or recommencing apprentices from 5 October 2020 to 30 September 2021, for wages paid in that period, capped at $7,000 per quarter.
The Government will create a new Apprenticeships Data Management System (ADMS) to better support the needs of apprentices and employers as Australia works to recover from COVID-19 and get more people into apprenticeships and back to work. It will replace the current outdated apprenticeships information system, known as the Training and Youth Internet Management System (TYIMS) at an estimated cost of $91.6 million.
New job seekers who lack basic language, literacy and numeracy skills will be supported to access the training and support they need with funding for an additional 14,485 places in the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program. The Government will invest $49.5 million to fund these additional places over two years.
The Government is cutting fees and charges to students and educators, including waiving the Tuition Protection Levy for the VET Student Loans (VSL) program, providing $6.3 million in funding to the Tuition Protection Service, and extending exemptions for eligible students from paying loan fees under the VSL program to 30 June 2021.
Eligible students will have more time to have their VET FEE-HELP debt re-credited after the Government committed $11.9 million to extend the VET FEE-HELP Student Redress Measures to 31 December 2022.
Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements in detail:
The $1.2 billion Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (BAC) wage subsidy will support 100,000 new apprentices. The measure sees the Government paying a 50 per cent wage subsidy for wages paid to businesses of any size who take on new or recommencing apprentices from 5 October 2020 to 30 September 2021. The subsidy will be capped at $7,000 per quarter for gross wages and compliments the significant support already available for employers.
The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements measure aims to support employers and Group Training Organisations to take on new apprentices and trainees to build a pipeline of skilled workers to support sustained economic recovery.
Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements is only available to the first 100,000 Australian Apprentices who commence or recommence with an employer or host employer of any size, including Group Training Organisations, on or after 5 October 2020.
For an employer to be eligible for Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements, the Australian Apprentice must:
- be undertaking a Certificate II or higher qualification; and
- meet the following eligibility criteria from Section III Primary Eligibility:
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- Employment and Training Arrangements; and
- Citizenship Status; and
- have a Training Contract that is formally approved by the State Training Authority
An employer will not be eligible for Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements where:
- the employer is receiving any other form of Australian Government wage subsidy or equivalent assistance for the Australian Apprentice;
- the Australian Apprentice is undertaking a qualification that supersedes a qualification previously undertaken by the same Australian Apprentice; or
- there has been fraud or manipulation, such as cancelling or withdrawing from an Australian Apprenticeship, for the purpose of accessing Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements payments, which would otherwise not have been payable.
Interested Employers should contact their local Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) Provider who can provide tailored information and support them to complete the short online registration form https://forms.business.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=BoostingApprentices. This should be done after the Contract of Training has been completed and the relevant tracking code has been obtained (this tracking code is provided at the sign up).
The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy will be paid quarterly in arrears with all claims to be finalised by December 2021.
National Careers Institute Initiatives
The National Careers Institute has announced initiatives to further support and enhance people’s access to careers information in Australia.
- On 1 October 2020, the Your Career website at yourcareer.gov.au was announced. The website will support people to make informed career decisions, including support to learn and train, get job-ready and get career ideas.
- The Enhanced Support to School Leavers measure was announced on 8 October. The measure comprises two initiatives:
The School Leavers Information Kit, available at yourcareer.gov.au, which provides this year’s school leavers with information about their education, training and employment options in 2021.
The School Leavers Information Service which will provide school leavers with phone, text or email support to navigate the School Leavers Information Kit, and to access and use the Your Career website. The service also offers a personalised career guidance session with a qualified career practitioner for up to 45 minutes, where needed.
The media releases signalling the launch of Your Career and the School Leaver measure by Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, can be found here.
Your Career website
The Your Career website at yourcareer.gov.au supports people at all ages and stages of their career, to make informed career decisions now, and as the economy recovers from COVID-19.
Powered by world-leading leading labour market intelligence from the National Skills Commission, visitors to Your Career will be able to interact with a range of tools to help them understand where the jobs are now, and where they will be in the future, and which skills they may need to get there.
Your Career is genuinely user-driven. Over 5,000 people, including school leavers, career advisers, employers and people across all stages of working life, took part in research and user acceptance testing to inform the website’s functionality and design over the past 12 months.
Your Career stems from Recommendation 6.6 of Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of the Vocational Education and Training System by the Hon. Steven Joyce, which found careers development information in Australia to be multilayered, difficult to navigate, and in need of a single source of information on the main careers in Australia. The release of Your Career will represent a key milestone for the NCI in the strengthening and streamlining of careers information.
School Leavers Information Kit and School Leavers Information Service
The School Leavers Information Kit and School Leavers Information Service will help school leavers navigate the changed labour market as a result of COVID-19. Information about both initiatives can be found on the Your Career website: https://yourcareer.gov.au/school-leavers-support/
In Term 4 (weeks commencing 5 and 12 October) school leavers across the country will receive an information card, or brochure, inviting them to view the School Leavers Information Kit Your Career: What’s next for you?. The kit has a range of resources to help young people navigate their education, training and career options (attached).
The School Leavers Information Service 1800 CAREER (1800 227 337) offers a triage service to assist callers to navigate the School Leavers Information Kit. It will also help school leavers use the Your Career website and where necessary, will refer callers to relevant government programs or support services.
Callers may also be referred to a personalised career guidance session with a qualified career practitioner for up to 45 minutes, where needed. Young people also have the option to text the Service by texting SLIS2020 to 0429 009 435 or they can email through schoolleavers.nci@dese.gov.au.
I have attached fact sheets on the initiatives mentioned above which outline some of the key features you can expect to see, which you are very welcome to share. I have also attached the School Leaver information kit, which I would also welcome you to use to promote the availability of these initiatives to your networks.
Further information about the initiatives are being published on the website at nci.dese.gov.au.