The Australian Government has announced a new program called ‘Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements’. It is designed to assist job seekers into Australian Apprenticeship jobs, and to help employers take on new staff.
This program is part of the COVID-19 economic recovery. It is available across all industries and to businesses of all sizes.
Here we break down what this means for you if you are an employer, a job hunter, or an apprentice who lost their job during COVID-19.
Employers
The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy program is available to employers of any size, in any industry. Unlike some other wage subsidies and incentives, this means that employers with any number of employees can take on an apprentice or trainee in any approved occupation.
It is important to note that this must be into an approved Australian Apprenticeships Training Contract – so you will need to contact an Australian Apprenticeships Support Network provider to sign up the apprentice or trainee. The Training Contract then needs to be approved by the State Training Authority. This is the same process as any other Australian Apprenticeship sign up.
Employers can only recieve one wage subsidy per apprentice or trainee. This means that employers who are recieving JobKeeper or the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees (SAT) wage subsidy can not also receive the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy for the same apprentice or trainee. You can get different wage subsidies for different apprentices or trainees.
