The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) recognises the critical importance of apprenticeships and traineeships and is advocating for a series of initiatives to ensure a steady pipeline of qualified workers for our nation's industries. [...] The program allowed for eligible employers and Group Training Organisations (GTOs) that hire a new or recommencing Australian apprentice undertaking training in a qualification and occupation on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List to apply for a Priority Wage Subsidy of 10 per cent of wages for the first and second year of the apprenticeship (up to $6,000 annually) and 5 per cent of wages. [...] It is the view of ACCI that this planned step-down should be delayed until the March 2025 federal budget, giving employers assurances about the current program and to allow sufficient time for the work of the Strategic Review of Apprenticeship Incentives to be completed. [...] As previously mentioned, incentives are important to employers and particularly in the first 12 months of an apprentices or trainees training, which is consistently identified as the period of highest cost for employers, due to training and supervision requirements, and the lowest level of productivity return by the new training recruit. [...] Preliminary results from the survey indicated that the complexity of claiming, including the need to provide a Tax File Number, training plans and accurate information was a key factor.28 These are obstacles that need to be overcome before additional funding is given to apprentices to ensure the desired impacts of the funding is achieved.
Authors
- Pages
- 29
- Published in
- Australia
