Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the Federal Budget on Tuesday 9 May 2023. Along with the Budget Papers, each Government Department published a Portfolio Budget Statement which has more detail about programs and initiatives within the remit of that Department.
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"The 2023–24 Budget includes initiatives across employment, skills and workplace relations that deliver on the Government's agenda to foster an inclusive, productive economy that generates high quality skills and opportunities for people to participate in safe, secure and well-paid work, so that no one is held back and no one is left behind." Employment And Workplace Relations Portfolio Budget Statements 2023–24 (DEWR PBS)
In this blog post we look at some of the key Budget measures related to skills, education, and employment, including key industry measures that may impact on these. Information in this document is taken from the Budget Measures (Budget Paper No. 2) and Portfolio Budget Statements. Sections in this post include:
- Australian Apprenticeships
- VET sector and skills
- Higher education
- Employment services
- Industry changes
The Portfolio Budget Statement from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations states that the measures in the current budget "build on the Government's substantial investment in vocational education and training (VET) in the 2022–23 October Budget and implement commitments from the 2022 Jobs and Skills Summit."
You can visit our blog posts on the 2022-23 October Budget and the Jobs and Skills Summit to recap on their key themes.
Australian Apprenticeships
There were two main Budget measures targeting Australian Apprenticeships, both which have previously been announced.
Australian Skills Guarantee
The Australian Skills Guarantee has been allocated $8.6 million over 4 years to 2026-27 for design and implementation. The Guarantee will mean that "One in 10 workers on these projects will be an apprentice, a trainee, or a paid cadet with additional sub-targets providing more opportunities for women." (DEWR PBS, page 14)
The Guarantee will apply from 1 July 2024, with a focus on construction, and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors, applying to contracts of $10.0 million or more. There will be more ambitious targets for flagship construction projects valued at $100.0 million or more.
Targets in the ICT sector will be negotiated with suppliers on a project by project basis.
Targeted support for apprenticeships
The government has committed an additional $54.3 million over 5 years from 2022-23 to introduce a new non-financial support model for Australian Apprenticeships, which will commence from 1 July 2024. This new model will refocus the services currently delivered by the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN).
