More apprentice wage support announced

The Federal Government has again extended its apprentice wage support package to now also include new apprentices, in a move to create more jobs and incentivise businesses to take on and train up lesser skilled employees.

From today, October 5, 2020, businesses who take on a new Australian apprentice will be eligible for a 50 per cent wage subsidy, regardless of geographic location, occupation, industry or business size.

However, the incentive is capped at 100,000 places and will run from October 5, 2020 to September 2021 to a maximum of $7000 per quarter.

Previously, under the JobTrainer package and other wage support measures announced in March 2020, only businesses who already have apprentices on the payroll are eligible for the 50 per cent wage subsidy, which applies to each and every apprentice they employ.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said apprenticeships are an important pathway to get young people into jobs and to ensure there is a skills pipeline to meet the future needs of employers.

“During this pandemic the Federal Government has been focused on supporting and creating jobs as well as identifying the skills we need in the economic rebuild,” Prime Minister Morrison said.

“Already 760,000 jobs that were either lost or reduced to zero hours as the COVID crisis hit, have come back into our economy. We want to continue to recover what has been lost and get young people into work.”

“Whether it’s the manufacturing, housing and construction, arts or mining sectors - this new wage subsidy gives businesses certainty to hire and provides a career path to aspiring, young tradies.”

The new package, which will cost $1.2 billion, builds on the existing $2.8 billion Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy announced earlier this year.

For more information on the new apprentice wage subsidy incentive, visit the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements website.