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G BookmarksEmployer bonus to kickstart apprenticeships
The Australian Government will invest $100 million in a new Apprentice Kickstart program to support up to 21,000 young Australians entering traditional trades this summer.
The new program comes as a result of the final Keep Australia Working Report released today, which included recent figures showing people starting trade apprenticeships had dropped by more than 20 per cent during the economic downturn compared to the same time last year.
To address this, the Government has fine-tuned the Jobs Fund stimulus measure to ensure that Australia continues to recruit and train apprentices in traditional trades and meets the potential skills shortage head on.
The Government's Apprentice Kickstart will more than triple the first year bonus paid to employers who take on traditional trades apprentices this summer.
The commencement bonus will increase from $1500 to $2350 and then following up with another $2500 at nine months which means employers will now receive $4,850 in the first year for taking on a traditional trade apprentice over the summer.
The summer apprentices will also be among the first to undertake mandatory green skills as part of their training.
The Apprenticeship Kickstart will be funded from the Government's $650 million Jobs Fund and will be available to all employers who take on a traditional trade apprentice aged between 15 and 19 years.
The bonus will be available for apprentices who are hired between 1 December 2009 and 28 February 2010 or until 21,000 apprentices have commenced in traditional trades hardest hit by skills shortages identified on the National Skills Needs List.
This includes trades like butchers, bakers, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, hairdressers and pastry cooks.
For more information visit www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/AustralianApprenticeships/Pages/AAKickstart.aspx
This page was generated on 30 October, 2009
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