The Government's extension of the Apprenticeship Boost initiative until August 2022 will support trades and trades training and keep Kiwis employed, BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says.
Through Apprenticeship Boost, employers can access a subsidy of $1000 per month for first year apprentices and $500 per month for second year apprentices.
"Businesses have responded positively to Apprenticeship Boost with record signups of apprentices in critical industries like construction.
"The extension keeps more people employed and learning important vocational skills that will help provide the necessary skilled workforce for New Zealand's economic recovery from the pandemic.
"Given an apprenticeship can take four years to complete, there is a long pipeline for skills. This initiative needs to be in place permanently to make sure businesses have confidence to continue building the skills pipeline and help address the skill shortages New Zealand faced before Covid.
"This is a great example of Government and business working together to address our workforce challenges," Mr Hope says.
