- Western Australia signs up to Skilling Australians Fund partnership agreement
- Thousands of opportunities for apprenticeships or traineeships to be created
The McGowan Government has negotiated a fair deal for Western Australia, with up to $126 million available to create thousands of jobs for apprenticeships and traineeships, after signing up to the Federal Government's Skilling Australians Fund National Partnership.
In addition, the national partnership will also provide funding for thousands of pre-apprenticeships - a career pathway that is strongly supported by industry.
Key to the national partnership is a McGowan Government employer incentive scheme that will provide training support to employers, including small businesses.
Funded from changes to payroll tax exemptions for traineeships and the national partnership, the scheme will enable the Government to target assistance to better meet the State's workforce priorities.
Industry will be consulted throughout the development of the incentive scheme to ensure it meets the sector's needs and encourages high-quality, on-the-job training.
The national partnership funding will also be used for skills development to support the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The McGowan Government's Plan for Jobs has a strong focus on job creation, including increasing the number of apprenticeships and traineeships to ensure the State has a skilled
workforce for existing and emerging industries.
As noted by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
"Our key focus is WA jobs - maximising training opportunities and increasing our skills base.
"This injection of funds will help the State create thousands of new opportunities for apprentices and trainees by providing incentives to employers, making it more attractive for them to commit to training.
"An apprenticeship or traineeship means young people gain the skills and experience they need to perform highly specialised, technical and complex jobs - and in the process provide employers with the trained staff they require to run and expand their businesses.
"The partnership with the Federal Government will help ensure we are ahead of the game in skilling Western Australians to take up the jobs of the future, especially as the economy starts to recover and activity picks up."
