Apprenticeship Employment Network

AE News Volume 14, Issue 38

Friday, 1st October 2021
Hi Reader!

Upcoming Events

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20 Oct - Inspiration in Leadership
27 Oct - Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training
10 Nov - OHS Network Meeting

Australian Government is Expanding Support to all Eligible Employers who Engage a new Australian Apprentice

The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (BAC) wage subsidy supports businesses and Group Training Organisations to take on new apprentices and trainees, to build a pipeline of skilled workers to support sustained economic recovery.

Through the subsidy, any business or Group Training Organisation that engages an Australian Apprentice between 5 October 2020 and 31 March 2022 may be eligible for a subsidy of 50 per cent of wages paid to a new or recommencing apprentice or trainee for a 12-month period from the date of commencement, to a maximum of $7,000 per quarter.

After 12 months of this support, employers will be eligible to transition to the time-limited Completing Apprenticeship Commencements (CAC) wage subsidy for the second and third years of an apprenticeship. Under the CAC, eligible employers will receive a 10 per cent wage subsidy in the second year of an eligible apprenticeship, up to a maximum of $1,500 per quarter per apprentice, and a 5 per cent wage subsidy in the third year of their apprenticeship, to a maximum of $750 per quarter per apprentice.

The BAC and CAC are available to employers of any size, industry or geographic location.
Final claims for payment must be lodged by 30 June 2025.

For more information, read the DESE - Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements.

For further details, please visit DESE - Media Release.

AEN & GAN Awards - Nominations Closing Soon

The 2021 AEN Industry Award Nominations are closing on 8 October 2021.

Nominations can be made in the following categories:
Individual Awards
  • Apprentice of the Year
  • Trainee of the Year
  • Inspiration Award: Indigenous Student of the Year
  • Inspiration Award: Overcoming Adversity
  • Inspiration Award: Women in Trades
  • School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year
  • STAR (Stop Taking a Risk) Award
  • Disability Achievement Award
AEN Awards
  • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Fellowship
GTO Awards
  • GTO Service Excellence Awards
  • GTO Industry Service Awards
  • Outstanding OHS Initiative
GAN Australia Awards
  • GAN International Apprentice Scholarship
  • GAN National Youth Initiative Award
If you know someone who deserves recognition, nominate them here.

Activity
Key Date
Nominations open
6 September
Nominations close
8 October
Awards judging
18 – 27 October
Finalists announced
29 October
Awards Dinner presentation event
To be announced
The venue for this year’s Awards Dinner is The Pavilion, Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. More details to follow.

Enquiries: Anna Bejanoff, admin@aen.org.au or 03 9639 3955.

AEN Professional Development Training - October 2021

We are pleased to offer two more professional development sessions in October.

‘Inspiration in Leadership’ is being repeated for those who missed out last participating in September. Training on ‘Indigenous Cultural Awareness’ has been added.
virtual training 4
Course
Inspiration in Leadership

Date/Time
20 October 2021
10.00am - 12.00pm
Cost (incl. GST)
Members: $55
Non-Members: $110
Registrations close: 15 Oct
Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training
27 October 2021
10.00am – 12.15pm
1.00 – 3.30pm
(4.5 hours)
Member: $110
Non-Member: $165
Registrations close: 22 Oct
For information on course content and to register, please go to AEN Events and select the course of interest.

AEN Members: Login to Member's area prior to purchasing tickets to access the member rate.

Enquiries: Anna Bejanoff, admin@aen.org.au or 03 9639 3955.

Engage Victoria

Currently there are a number of Victorian government consultations open for public review/comment. The Engage Victoria website is a new platform where all conslutations are listed in one location. Two that might be of interest to the GTO/VET network include:
For further details and a list of the consultations open, please visit Engage Victoria.

Australian Jobs 2021

On 23 September, the National Skills Commission released the Australian Jobs 2021 Edition.

Australian Jobs gives an overview of trends in the Australian labour market. It is designed to support students, career advisers, job seekers, those considering future training and work and people interested in labour market issues.

Australian jobs 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on the labour market and there is now more competition for jobs. It is more important than ever to understand what employers are looking for and to understand what is happening in the labour market.

National Career Institute – Your Career Guide and Website

Your career guide
As we head into the end of another school year, a quick reminder that the National Careers Institute has a wide range of information and tools about learning and training, finding a job, building a career, and the financial support available.

To access this free guide, please visit Your Career - What's next for you?

For further information, please visit Your Career.

Construction Sector Closed for 2 weeks

Due to continued concern about case numbers, transmission risk and reduced compliance, construction has shut down in metropolitan Melbourne and Local Government Areas (City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire), currently in lockdown, for two weeks from Monday 20 September.

There will be strictly limited exemption for workers to attend the sites to respond to an emergency or perform urgent and essential work to protect health and safety.

All sites will be required to demonstrate compliance with Chief Health Officer Directions prior to reopening – including the requirement for workers to show evidence to their employer of having had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before they return to site on 5 October. From 23 September, all construction workers require at least their first dose of the vaccine. This means that before workers return to site, they must comply with this new requirement.

For more information about priority vaccine access, visit COVID Vaccines.

A COVID-19 disaster payment is available to help workers unable to earn income due to public health orders, with more info available at COVID-19 Disaster Payment.

Latrobe – Gippsland Region – 7 Day Lockdown

The City of Latrobe has entered a seven-day lockdown from midnight on Tuesday 28 September. COVID-19 cases jumped to 22 on Wednesday 28 September with more expected in the Gippsland local government area (LGA).

Victoria’s acting Chief Health Officer said the same restrictions that apply in Melbourne, excluding the curfew, would take effect in the Gippsland LGA that takes in Moe, Morwell, and Traralgon.

Victorian Daylight Savings Starts Sunday 3 October

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2am (AEST) on the first Sunday in October when clocks are put forward one hour.

Daylight Saving Time ends at 3am (AEST) on the first Sunday in April when clocks are put back one hour.

For further information, please visit Daylight saving | Business Victoria.

VCCI – Apprentice Mental Health Workshops

Mental Health apprentices
Apprentices are particularly vulnerable to experiencing poor mental health, as Australian data on the higher prevalence of mental illness in young people clearly demonstrates.

Supporting apprentices who may be struggling as well as managing mental health risks in the workplace are positive things you can focus on to ensure good outcomes for both your apprentices and your business.

If you employ apprentices and want to improve mental health in your workplace, join one of VCCI's FREE interactive workshops where they will talk through the issues that matter most to both senior leaders and frontline managers. Three dates are available:
  • 5 October 9:00am - 12:30pm
  • 9 November 1:00pm - 4:30pm
  • 9 December 9:00am - 12:30pm
For further details, please visit Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Superannuation Changes – Super Stapling, Free Webinars

Superannuation has an ever-changing regulatory landscape. Introduced as part of the recent 'Your Future, Your Super' federal government measures, super stapling applies from 1 November 2021 with employers required to play a key part.

What is super stapling?
The introduction of super stapling means people working in Australia will be attached to one super fund for life unless they choose otherwise. The measure aims to reduce the number of super accounts people may acquire throughout their working life.

The introduction of super stapling makes it even more important for employees to actively choose a super fund best suited to their circumstances and needs. Making informed choices about super reduces the potential to be ‘stapled’ to a fund that may not lead to the best retirement outcome.

What employers need to do from 1 November
To help employers understand more about the extra step as a result of this legislation, Australian Super are running live webinars to explain super stapling and the impacts for employers.

These webinars are designed specifically for employers, to provide information about super stapling and the steps required once it comes into effect. There will also be an opportunity for a short Q&A session at the conclusion of the webinar. F

For webinar times, please visit Australian Super - Super Stapling.

For further information, please visit Australian Super - Employee Choice.

WorldSkills Conference: 25-29 October 2021

The WorldSkills Conference "Road Ahead: Skills for a Resilient Future" is a hybrid event both online and live from Shanghai. It will review the impact of the pandemic on green skills development, on jobs and poverty, and on apprenticeships, as well as analyse data and trends at the global and regional level, bringing participants up to date with the learning and solutions that have emerged from this crisis.
Worldskills shanghai
Registrations are now open. For further details, please visit WorldSkills.

October is Health and Safety Month!

worksafe month october
If you’re interested in workplace health & safety, you can’t afford to miss WorkSafe’s Health & Safety Month. Hear from guest speakers and industry experts on topics ranging from:
  • The importance of HSR's to business
  • How organisational culture impacts workplace mental health
  • What do the new Silica Regulations mean for employers and employees?
  • What are your rights as a young worker?
  • Construction sessions
  • Infringement notices + many more!
This year all the events will be delivered as a series of 45 minute webinars, and it's free to register!

For more information, please visit Events - WorkSafe.

Victorian Training Awards: Online for 2021

Gala_Awards_ESIG_2021
The Victorian Training Awards are going online from 7pm on Saturday 16 October when the 2021 Awards will celebrate the sector’s ongoing commitment, resilience and innovation in a year of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual gala will be hosted in a studio with all finalists to tune in live for recognition and the announcement of each award winner.

Registrations for the event are free and are open on Eventbrite.

For more information on the finalists, please visit Victorian Training Awards.

Retrenched Apprentices and Trainees Program

Retrenched Apprentices and Trainees Program Logo
Out of Trade Banner
This program has now supported 829 participants since May 2020, and 345 apprentices and trainees have commenced with a new employer.
Currently, there are 37 participants on our active caseload:
  • Electrical - 17
  • Plumbing - 6
  • Carpentry - 7
  • Other trades - 7
For Individuals
Apprentices and trainees who have lost employment are encouraged to register.

Once on the register, apprentices and trainees will be assisted by one of our program officers until placed with a host employer through a Group Training Organisation (GTO), or directly with an employer, whilst also directing you to the most appropriate advice and assistance while you remain out of employment.
If you have an apprenticeship or traineeship position you would like to fill, please contact the AEN Office so we can forward potential candidates that meet your criteria.

For further information or to register for the program please visit Apprenticeship Employment Network.

NCVER Update

This week, NCVER released a new report - Review of employer-based training models.

This report identifies the strengths, limitations and effectiveness of employment-based training models and provides international and Australian examples.

The review highlights that employers look for training that is agile and responsive to their specific needs, is affordable, and minimises workers’ time away from their jobs. Whether the training is nationally recognised or not is generally not employers’ foremost concern.

Further, employment-based training approaches such as cadetships, internships and higher apprenticeships are well suited for meeting the needs of employers. VET providers’ experience in delivering staged training to match work experience progression, as occurs in apprenticeships and traineeships, offer them the opportunity to negotiate with employers to develop and deliver the bespoke employment-based training programs required by employers.

Women & Leadership Australia - Professional Development Partial Scholarships Open

Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) is currently offering professional development partial scholarships of $1,000-$5,000 for three leadership development courses. The partial scholarships are open to women across all areas of the training and development sector.

WLA supports emerging, middle, and senior women leaders across all sectors and industries. Their leadership programs bring together a focus on applied learning with the latest in leadership theory and practice.

Through their Industry Partnership Framework, they work with hundreds of Australian associations and professional bodies to increase awareness and action around gender equity.

Apply by 30 November or find out more at Women & Leadership Australia.
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Do you want to be kept up to date with everything that’s happening with GAN Australia and the wider VET sector?

Head on over to GAN Australia and subscribe now.

Thanks to our Industry Partners

aatis
ApprenticeshipSupportAustralia
AustralianApprenticeshipsPathways
AustralianSuper
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EML
GAN Australia Logo Landscape
VictorianChamberOfCommerceAndIndustry
SafetyFirst
WorkSight
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