Apprentices and trainees provide an excellent, cost-effective way to boost your construction workforce. CTF’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship Grant for Employers provides an incentive for employers to support apprentices and trainees in WA’s construction industry. The grant makes it more affordable for businesses directly employing apprentices and trainees or hiring them from a group organisation. Some apprentices and trainees make their employers eligible for additional supplementary payments.
An apprentice or trainee is a person in training to do a specific job. Apprenticeships are three to four years long and focus on skilled trades such as plumbing or electrical.
Traineeships are one to two years long and offer for a broader range of occupations such as administration or hospitality. Both apprenticeships and traineeships feature paid, on-the-job training and result in a qualification or licence to work in the relevant occupation.
Apprenticeships and traineeships can be done at TAFE or any other registered training organisation.
There are many apprenticeships and traineeships available within the construction industry. Construction projects employ a wide variety of people in different roles. Apprenticeships are relevant due to construction projects requiring tradespeople. Trades such as electricians, plumbers, bricklayers and plasterers make up a large part of the tradespeople contingent. Traineeships benefit from construction projects since many non-trade roles contribute to construction projects in areas such as digital marketing, health, IT or hospitality.
Apprentices and trainees provide an excellent way for an employer to expand their construction workforce. The construction industry is thriving in Western Australia right now and demand for workers is high.
Apprentices and trainees typically have lower standard wages than fully qualified professionals, allowing a company to keep up with business demand for a lower price. The lower wage reflects their lack of experience but investing in their training provides long-term benefits in the form of future qualified employees.
CTF’s employment grant provides incentives for employers to support apprentices by offsetting the costs of training or hiring out apprentices for construction projects.
An apprenticeship or traineeship can be undertaken through either direct employment or through a group training organisation.
Direct employment (or direct indenture) is when an employer directly employs an apprentice or trainee through their business and takes responsibility for the completion of their qualification. The employer provides the apprentice or trainee with on-the-job training and must find them a registered training organisation for classroom training.
A group training organisation is an institution that provides an apprentice or trainee with classroom training and matches them with employers. They hire out apprentices or trainees for short-term stints with various employers for on-the-job training. The group training organisation takes care of training, administrative and contractual responsibilities that an employer would have in a direct employment situation.
CTF’s employment grant exists to incentivise construction employers to include apprentices and trainees in their workforce. It offsets the costs involved in the training of apprentices and trainees. Since you are paying their wages, super and entitlements when directly employing apprentices or trainees, CTF helps to reimburse part of these expenses. When group training organisations receive the employment grant, it goes towards lowering the cost of hiring an apprentice or trainee for an employer.
CTF’s employment grant is open to sole traders, small businesses and large organisations who are looking to employ apprentices or trainees. To be eligible, employers must have lodged a training contract with the Department of Training and Workforce Development (DTWD) that still has active status. Eligible qualifications can be directly related to on-site construction or demonstrate on-site activity.
Direct, on-site construction is required for qualifications that are part of Construction, Plumbing and Services (CPC) and Resources and Infrastructure Industry (RII).
Demonstrated on-site activity is required for qualifications that are part of the Electrotechnology Distribution and Rail Sector (UEE/UET), Manufacturing and Engineering (MEM), Furnishing (MSF/LMF) and Gas Industry (UEG). CTF provides additional eligibility information in their Levy and Disbursements Guide.
Once you have signed your apprentice or trainee into an eligible trade, CTF will contact you by email when you are due for a claim. All you must do to make your claim is respond to the email with the requested documentation.
The base rate for an apprenticeship and traineeship employment grant is between $3,000 and $10, 000. This varies depending on the specific occupation an individual is training for and the length of the indenture term.
Additional supplements increase the payment provided when individuals qualify for them. CTF has a calculator to help approximate the size of the grant you would receive.
The CTF employment grant provides additional supplements on top of the base rate to provide greater incentive for employers supporting apprentices or trainees in specific groups. Regional apprentices qualify for supplements with a rate that varies depending on their distance from a metropolitan area. New apprentices who have completed a pre-apprenticeship program within 12 months, female apprentices and mature age apprentices (over the age of 21) qualify for a $2000 supplement. Apprentices of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent allow the employer to claim a supplement of 30% of the base rate.
Western Australia’s construction industry continues to thrive and is in constant need of workers. CTF’s employment grant supports employers, making it more affordable to take on apprentices and trainees. Our goal is to provides benefits that helps employers and apprentices and trainings.
Not sure if you’re eligible for the grant? Read our levy and funding guidelines or get in contact with our team.
