Employers in the building, construction and engineering trades have until the end of April to take advantage of the Apprentice Kickstart Initiative. The breakthrough program has been extended and allows employers to get an extra $3350 incentive payment for taking on a new apprentice.
The incentive was introduced in December to boost apprenticeship numbers in skill shortage trades. The program was initially aimed at the building and construction industries, but was expanded in January to include engineering and aviation.
An extra $3350 is paid for people taking on a new apprentice in nominated trades, in addition to an existing $1500 commencement payment.
The program aims to bring an extra 21,000 apprentices into the workforce.
BUSY At Work CEO Paul Miles has backed the extension, saying it will provide more job opportunities for young workers.
“These incentives make employing apprentices even more affordable,” Mr Miles said.
As at February 28, more than 12,000 apprentices have commenced employment under the program nationally.
“This extension is great news for the building, construction and engineering sectors. This increased support will go a long way to help boost the nominated small to medium sized business sectors,” Mr Miles said.
“Local businesses will need to be quick though to take advantage of the extra funding.”
Employers must meet eligibility requirements under the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program to qualify for Kickstart. To receive the incentive, businesses will need to have less than 200 staff and the qualification needs to be Certificate III or IV qualification in trades listed on the National Skills Needs List.
The trades available for the Kickstart incentive are:
- Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic
- Air-conditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber
- Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics)
- Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical)
- Bricklayer
- Cabinetmaker
- Carpenter
- Carpenter and Joiner
- Drainer
- Electrician (General)
- Fibrous Plasterer
- Fitter (General)
- Fitter and Turner
- Fitter-Welder
- Floor Finisher
- Gasfitter
- Glazier
- Joiner
- Landscape Gardener
- Metal Fabricator
- Metal Machinist (First Class)
- Painting Trades Worker
- Plumber (General)
- Pressure Welder
- Roof Plumber
- Roof Tiler
- Sheetmetal Trades Worker
- Signwriter
- Solid Plasterer
- Stonemason
- Toolmaker
- Wall and Floor Tiler
- Welder (First class).
-ENDS-
MEDIA CONTACT
Holly Hall
E: holly.hall@busyinc.com.au
M: 0408 755 558
P: 07 5585 4385
