Financial Incentives and Payments for Apprentices and Trainees | Sarina Russo

The Australian Apprentice Training Support Payment provides direct financial assistance to eligible apprentices and trainees.

It is available for apprentices and trainees who commence, or resume, their apprenticeship or traineeship from 01/07/2022 onwards and who are undertaking a Certificate III or higher qualification that leads to a Priority Occupation.  Priority Occupations are occupations classified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) as either Technicians and Trades Workers, or Community and Personal Service Workers.  The full list of Priority Occupations can be found on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List.

The Australian Apprentice Training Support Payment is intended to help apprentices and trainees with cost-of-living pressures and to assist them to stay in training their apprenticeship.  The amount available will depend on whether the apprenticeship or traineeship is being undertaken either full-time or part-time:

• Full-time apprentices and trainees in Priority Occupations can receive payments of $1250, paid every six months for a maximum of two years (up to a total value of $5000)
• Part-time apprentices and trainees in Priority Occupations can receive payments of $625, paid every six months for a maximum of two years (up to a total value of $2500).

The Additional Identified Skills Shortage incentive is available for training contracts with a start date up to 30/06/2022.

The Additional Identified Skills Shortage (AISS) incentive provides payments for apprentices, and their employers, in the following occupations which have been identified as experiencing a shortage of skilled workers:

• Carpenters and Joiners
• Plasterers
• Plumbers
• Bakers and Pastry Cooks
• Hairdressers
• Vehicle Painters
• Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics
• Wall and Floor Tilers
• Bricklayers and Stonemasons
• Arborists

 A payment of $1,000 will be made to eligible apprentices 12 months after starting their apprenticeship, with an addition $1,000 paid on completion of the apprenticeship.