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REALISING OUR POTENTIAL - FAST-TRACK APPRENTICESHIPS

The Federal Minister for Vocational and Further Education, the Hon Andrew Robb AO MP tonight announced funding of $58.5 million to assist Registered Training Organisations to work with industry and local employers to develop and implement ‘fast-track apprenticeships’.

"The Fast Track Apprenticeship Programme is one of a number of measures in this Budget which is aimed at addressing current and impending skill shortages within industries vital to this country’s prosperity," Mr Robb said.

This funding will support training providers to take advantage of new flexibilities that have removed time-based restrictions on apprenticeship qualifications. It will contribute to the initial costs of negotiating with employers to make changes to wage structures to reflect the cost of accelerated on and off-the-job training, as well as the redevelopment of training materials.

Employers will be actively involved in course development and in assessing competencies of apprentices throughout the implementation of this initiative. This will ensure their confidence in the competence of the apprentices after a shorter period of time.

"In response to a Council of Australian Governments’ decision in February 2006, all references to fixed durations in awards have been removed so there are no barriers to prevent early sign off based on competency," Mr Robb said.

"The programme will take advantage of the opportunities this flexibility creates to increase the number of qualified tradespeople within a designated industry more quickly."

Supporting information

Why is this important?

• Australia needs a skilled and knowledgeable workforce, capable of meeting the current and future demands of industry.
• One way to achieve this is to encourage greater participation in apprenticeships by removing time-based restrictions on qualifications and by enabling students to achieve their qualifications when they are competent and more quickly.
• The funding is being provided to support the development of flexible and responsive apprenticeship training which meets the needs of industry and apprentices and can be supported and delivered by Registered Training Organisations.

Who will benefit?

• Registered Training Organisations will be able to apply for up to $50,000 to work with industry partners to develop innovative on-the-job and off-the-job training that focuses on the acquisition of skills and competencies.
• Employers and apprentices will benefit from this initiative – employers because they will have a more highly skilled workforce, more quickly, and students, who will be able to complete their apprenticeships when they are competent, rather than when they have served the time deemed necessary to complete the qualification.

What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?

• The Government will provide funding of $58.5 million over four years to the initiative.

What have we done in the past?

• This measure builds on the $64.3 million committed in the 2006-07 Budget for progressing the work of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The COAG reforms are encouraging skills development, flexible pathways into skilled occupations and the movement of trade-qualified people throughout Australia.

When will the initiative conclude?

• This initiative is an ongoing measure.

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