Wage incentives to support early learning centres

Monday, October 12, 2020

New wage subsidies for traineeships and young job seekers could help you expand your team and help boost the economy post-pandemic if you’re eligible.

JobMaker Hiring Credit

The JobMaker Hiring Credit is an incentive for businesses to take on additional young job seekers.

This will help young people access job opportunities as the economy recovers. It will also be available to employers for each new job they create over the next 12 months for which they hire an eligible young person, aged 16 to 35 years old.

What you need to know

From 7 October 2020, eligible employers will be able to claim $200 a week for each additional eligible employee they hire aged 16 to 29 years old; and $100 a week for each additional eligible employee aged 30 to 35 years old.

New jobs created until 6 October 2021 will attract the JobMaker Hiring Credit for up to 12 months from the date the new position is created. To be eligible, the employee must have received the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance (Other), or Parenting Payment for at least one of the previous three months at the time of hiring.

For further information about the JobMaker Hiring Credit, please visit the ATO website.

Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements

The $1.2 billion apprenticeship and traineeship boost was announced as part of the Federal Government’s budget package to build a pipeline of skilled workers as part of their economic response to COVID-19. This wage subsidy is in addition to the existing $2.8 billion Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy.

What is it?

The government is providing an extra 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships to businesses of any size, sector or geographic location. Under the scheme, eligible employers will receive a wage subsidy of up to 50 per cent of the Australian apprentice or traineeship’s gross wage paid and a maximum of $7,000 per quarter per eligible Australian Apprentice. The subsidy is available for wages paid from 5 October 2020 to 30 September 2021 or until a cap of 100,000 is reached.

What are apprenticeships and traineeships?

Apprenticeships and traineeships combine on-the-job and formal training for qualifications in a wide range of industries. Generally, an apprenticeship provides training in a skilled trade, while a traineeship provides training in a vocational area.

Are you eligible?

You may be eligible if:

• you engage an Australian Apprentice between 5 October 2020 and 30 September 2021, and
• your Australian Apprentice or trainee is undertaking a Certificate II or higher qualification and has a training contract that is formally approved by the state training authority.

What is the first step

Your first step is to contact an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider in your area – see below for a list of our preferred providers. They will provide you with the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements Registration Form and tell you everything you need to know about entering into a training contract.

Preferred apprenticeship support network provider

MEGT 136 348 aasninfo@megt.com.au | www.megt.com.au

Sarina Russo Job Access 1300 178 776 or 1300 883 426 apprenticeships@sarinarusso.com.au | www.sarinarusso.com.au

Chambers Apprenticeship Support 1300 363 831 or 1300 650 755 info@apprenticeshipsupport.com.au | www.apprenticeshipsupport.com.au

We offer traineeships for our Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and the Diploma of School Age Education and Care in Victoria. If you are approved to take on a trainee, we can offer fully supported online training and help you to get the best out of them.

For more information about traineeships or training needs, contact one of our team!