VET News

A $2 Billion Skills Investment in the Bag!

The Morrison Government will invest $2 billion to give hundreds of thousands of Australians access to new skills by retraining and upskilling them into sectors with job opportunities, as the economy recovers from COVID-19.

The JobTrainer skills package will also guarantee support for thousands of apprentices in jobs across the country by subsidising their wages to keep them employed and their training secured.

A new $1 billion JobTrainer program will provide up to an additional 340,700 training places to help school leavers and job seekers access short and long courses to develop new skills in growth sectors and create a pathway to more qualifications. Courses will be free or low cost in areas of identified need, with the Federal Government providing $500 million with matched contributions from state and territory governments.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the JobTrainer package was focused on getting people into jobs.

“JobTrainer will ensure more Australians have the chance to reskill or upskill to fill the jobs on the other side of this crisis,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. “COVID-19 is unprecedented but I want Australians to be ready for the sorts of jobs that will come as we build back and recover.

The package also includes an additional $1.5 billion to expand the wage incentive to help keep apprentices in work. It builds on the initial $1.3 billion package announced in March.

In addition to small businesses already covered, the wage subsidy will now be available to medium businesses with less than 200 employees for apprentices employed as at 1 July 2020. Around 180,000 apprentices and 90,000 small and medium businesses that employ them will now be supported, with the program extended by six months to March 2021.

The initiative covers 50 per cent of the wages paid to apprentices and trainees, up to $7,000 per quarter.

Minister Michaelia Cash said, “This package will be essential as the economy rebuilds so that people looking for work can reskill and upskill for in-demand jobs, provide school leavers with a pathway into their careers, and ensure businesses are able to get the skilled workers they need.”

Minister Cash also said that the National Skills Commission would play a critical role in identifying current and future skills needed and are going to work directly with states and territories to ensure that areas within each particular state and territory are targeted. “We will work with States and Territories to develop a list of qualifications and skillsets that will provide job seekers with the skills that are in demand by employers and are critical to the economic recovery.”.  

When asked during a recent radio interview about the types of courses expected to support this demand Minister Cash said ‘That will be up to the states and territories as to how they would like to deliver them but, certainly, it's vocational education and training, short courses, and full qualifications. It's all about upskilling, reskilling and retraining into areas that we know are in demand”.

The Assistance Minister for Vocational, Education, Training and Apprenticeships said, “The Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy will now help almost 90,000 businesses employing around 180,000 apprentices and trainees throughout Australia.  “This will dramatically improve the viability of tens of thousands of apprenticeships and the businesses employing them right across the country.”

States and territories need to sign up to a new Heads of Agreement to access JobTrainer funding, with the agreement setting out immediate reforms to improve the vocational education and training sector, and providing the foundation for long term improvements as outlined by the Prime Minister in his recent speech to the National Press Club.

Click here to read the Minister’s Media Release

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, the Hon. Michaelia Cash - Interview Transcripts – 16 July 2020:

• Channel 9 The Today Show interview
• 2GB Breakfast Interview

Date posted Jul 23, 2020