23-October-2007
Goldstein Media Releases, Education and Training
Australian Apprentices and their employers in the electorate of Goldstein will be able to access additional assistance worth thousands of dollars under an extension of the Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship, and opening up of the Employer Incentives Programme and Living Away from Home Allowance.
“Local businesses in the Bayside area will greatly benefit from these changes. Businesses play a vital role in training Australian Apprentices and these changes will enable more employers to access the range of financial assistance provided by the Australian Government,” Andrew Robb, Federal Member for Goldstein and Minister for Vocational and Further Education said.
Australian Apprentices will also benefit, with more apprentices able to get the $1,000 tax-free Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship and Living Away From Home Allowance.
“These changes support young people to stay in our community and contribute to Bayside’s future growth and prosperity through completing an apprenticeship; they will help to further drive the unemployment rate in Goldstein below the current level of 2.9%.
“There are now over 3,600 apprentices in Goldstein which represents a 254% increase since 1996. With these changes, we will see more apprentices and employers supported to start and complete an apprenticeship,” Andrew Robb added.
The additional assistance includes:
- Ensuring access to the $1,000 tax-free Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship to apprentices who complete their apprenticeship before the end of their first or second year;
- Opening up the Incentives Programme to employers of apprentices with prior qualifications who are training in an area of skills shortage, including incentives of up to $4,000 in commencement and completion payments;
- Introducing six new intermediate building and construction qualifications that will attract incentives for employers under the Incentives Programme; and
- Extending Living Away From Home Allowance to Australian School-based Apprentices.
“The Howard Government’s record on training Australia’s workforce speaks for itself. In 1996, when Labor last held government, only 30,920 people completed an apprenticeship. This compares with a massive 544,000 completions over the past four years.
“This year alone we have committed a record $2.9 billion to skilling Australia. Labor has no effective plan - all Labor has to offer is a lathe or a microwave at the back of a classroom,” Robb said.
The new measures will commence on 1 January 2008.