The Cook government has just announced a range of new funding initiatives to support the Western Australian economy, with continued investment in infrastructure and training.
New initiatives funded by the Construction Training Fund
- $1,000 milestone payments will be available for eligible apprentices for each year of their training from 1 January 2025, with claims able to be made up to twelve months after completion.
- The $16 million Apprentice Tool Allowance has also received a generous boost, with eligible apprentices entitled to a $1,000 rebate at both the commencement and completion of their training for the purchase of tools or safety equipment.
- In recognition of the costs associated with employing and training an apprentice, $26 million has been allocated through the 2024-25 State Budget to provide additional support to employers in the building and construction industry.
- Eligible employers of three to four year apprentices will receive a base grant of $15,000, up from $12,000 previously. Employers of 18-24 month apprentices will receive a base grant of $12,500, up from $10,000.
- Bonus rates for employing a female or mature aged apprentice or trainee will also be doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent, to help address improved diversity of the workforce and address skills shortages, tapping into traditionally underutilised areas of the workforce.
- A further $5 million has been allocated to CTF’s Capital Grants Program for private registered training organisations (RTO) to upgrade facilities and equipment to expand their construction training capacity.
- Continued investment of $470,000 to provide regional building and construction apprentices with an increased travel and accommodation allowance to assist with transport and accommodation costs incurred if required to travel more than 70 kilometres from home as part of off-the-job training.
- These initiatives build on a recent $21.5 million expansion of the Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy Program, with employers able to apply for generous subsidies to cover the average estimated award wage of full-time apprentices in the building and construction industry.
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