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AE News Volume 13, Issue 8
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Upcoming Events
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7 April - OHS Network Meeting (Virtual)
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AEN Response to COVID-19
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In light of the recent developments regarding COVID19, the AEN together with our co-tenants VTA and the building owners Co-invest have taken action to reduce the potential risk and spread of the virus among staff, members and visitors to the office.
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It is intended the AEN office will continue to operate during normal business hours to maintain business-as-usual functions.
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In order to minimise the risk of exposure to the virus for our staff and those of the VTA, members and visitors, network meetings and professional development workshops scheduled to be held at the office over the coming months will be cancelled, postponed or run virtually as deemed appropriate.
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To that end, the following changes will be made to our event calendar for this half of the year:
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OH&S Network – 7 April – This meeting will be run virtually. Details will be forwarded to those who have RSVP’d.
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Alcohol & Drugs Workshop – 22 April – This workshop will be cancelled.
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AEN Mid-year Conference – 18-19 June – This will be postponed to late October and will run as a one-day event and potentially combined with our AGM. Date an further details TBC.
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We acknowledge this causes some inconvenience, thank you for your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back into the AEN office sooner than later.
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We will keep you up-to-date with further developments and actions as they transpire. If you are experiencing any direct impacts to your organisation please keep us informed – this will enable us to feed the information through to government(s).
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AEN will also be emailing members this week to survey GTOs on any direct impacts they are seeking on the ground.
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Thank you for your understanding in these uncertain times.
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If you have any queries or concerns please feel free to get in touch.
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Update on the Recently Announced Apprentice Wage Subsidies Through the Commonwealth Stimulus Package
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As part of the Government’s Economic Response to the Coronavirus, $1.3 billion will be made available to 70,000 small businesses to help them keep around 117,000 apprentices and trainees across the country in work and training.
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The DESE Workforce and Apprenticeships Industry Branch have advised that the Q&As for Supporting Apprentices and Trainees have now been published. They are available on:
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- The Department’s website
- Supporting Apprentices and Trainees Fact Sheet
- The Australian Apprenticeships website
The Supporting Apprentices and Trainees program provides a wage subsidy to small businesses (under 20 EFT) (including those using a Group Training Organisation) to support the retention of their existing apprentices and trainees.
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The wage subsidy is also available to employers of any size, including a Group Training Organisation, if they re-engage an apprentice or trainee that has been displaced from a small business.
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Eligible employers can apply for a wage subsidy of 50 per cent of the apprentice’s or trainee’s wage for 9 months from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020.
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The apprentice or trainee must have been in-training with a small business as at 1 March 2020.
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Employers can register for the subsidy from 2 April 2020. Final claims for payment must be lodged by 31 December 2020.
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Macklin Victorian VET Review - Issues Paper Released
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The Victorian Government has commissioned an independent review into Victoria’s post-secondary education and training system.
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The review is focused on developing a system that meets the needs of the economy, students and the broader community.
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Every Victorian has a stake in the future of post-secondary education and training, and we want every Victorian to have the opportunity to have a say in designing that system.
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This includes students, parents, employers, unions, teachers, training providers and community organisations. Everyone has a valuable perspective to offer in shaping a world-class system.
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There are three easy ways for you to have your say:
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- Complete an online survey
- Attend a community event
- Upload a submission.
The Review will deliver its final report and recommendations to the Minister for Training and Skills and the Minister for Higher Education by October 2020.
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AEN will be canvasing members and other VET stakeholders for input with a specific GTO response over the coming months.
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For further information and to access the issues paper please visit the Engage Victoria website.
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Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the Future of Jobs
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Incorporating the most recent labour market information available, Global Employment Trends for Youth sets out the youth labour market situation around the world.
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It shows where progress has or has not been made, updates world and regional youth labour market indicators, and provides detailed analyses of medium-term trends in youth population, labour force, employment and unemployment.
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The 2020 edition released last week discusses the implications of technological change for the nature of jobs available to young people. It focuses on shifts in job characteristics, sectors and skills, as well as examining the impact of technological change on inequalities in youth labour markets.
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More Restrictions Put In Place In The Fight Against COVID-19
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Indoor public gatherings of more than 100 people will be banned under changes made to the State of Emergency by the Victorian Government and restrictions will be placed on aged care facilities in Victoria, following agreement by the National Cabinet on Wednesday this week.
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The new measures are in addition to the banning of mass outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people and the 14-day isolation of travellers coming to Australia that are already in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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Venues that don’t comply with these new directions on mass gatherings face fines of up to $100,000. People who don’t comply face fines of up to $20,000.
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Independent Assessment of Apprentices & Trainees
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New Website to Help Closed Schools Continue Teaching
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A new website has been launched to help teachers keep students learning in the event a school is closed because of COVID-19.
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Launched this week, the new Learning From Home site provides age-appropriate, curriculum-based learning resources for early childhood services and primary and secondary school students.
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Australian Super Insurance Changes in Effect 1 April 2020
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The Federal Government recently introduced the ‘Putting Members’ Interests First’ legislation to help reduce the chance of members’ super being eroded by insurance costs while they’re building up their balance.
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The legislation change means that from 1 April 2020 we can no longer provide basic insurance cover for members whose super balance hasn’t reached $6,000 at any time from 1 November 2019.
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Basic insurance cover is the cover provided automatically to members when they join AustralianSuper.
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The legislation doesn’t affect you if:
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- you have fixed your cover amount
- you have basic + extra (fixed) cover
- you’re an AustralianSuper Select member and your employer pays for all of your cover
What are your options?
You’re not required to do anything you don’t want to, but you may want to consider the following:
There are two actions you can take if you choose to keep your cover (you need to have enough money in your account to pay for it):
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- complete the Keep your cover form by 31 March 2020, or
- increase your super balance to $6,000 or more by 31 March 2020
If you take no action, and your account balance hasn’t reached $6,000 at any time from 1 November 2019 to 31 March 2020, any basic cover you hold will be cancelled on 1 April 2020.
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- Your basic cover may restart in the future, but it may be limited cover and could be higher or lower than the cover you have now.
- To be eligible for basic cover to restart automatically, you must be at least 25 years of age, have a minimum super balance of $6,000 and be receiving employer contributions (age limits and other conditions apply).
Premiums will continue to be deducted from your super account monthly, if you choose to keep your cover.
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Your cover could also stop before 1 April 2020 for a number of reasons.
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If you are using an alternative superannuation fund please refer to their website for further details.
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Survey of Parents' Attitudes towards VET as a Career Pathway for Young People
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Parents and guardians are an invaluable resource for young people when it comes to decision making related to career pathways.
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AATIS require your help to better understand the attitudes and perceptions related to the amount of reliable information parents have about the future of work and the impact of digital technologies on vocational career pathways via the Parents Understanding of VET survey.
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As an acknowledgement of appreciation all eligible participants will go into the running to receive two gold class movie tickets.
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NCVER Update
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The biggest increases in trade commencements were seen in construction trades workers (up 8.8%), and automotive and engineering trades workers (up 4.2%).
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Commencements showed an overall increase of 1.7% to 34,690 in the September 2019 quarter, when compared with the same quarter in 2018.
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However non-trade commencements decreased by 1.0% to 18,515 over the same period, with the biggest decreases seen in hospitality workers (down 15.2%) and sports and personal service workers (down 24.5%).
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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?
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Bunnings Apprentice Trade PowerPass
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Don't miss a world of opportunities! As a Bunnings PowerPass Apprentice member, you can benefit from a huge range of exclusive deals.
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- ABN free applications for trade-related apprentices
- Access to PowerPass prices and offers on a wide range of trade products
- Invitations to exclusive trade events
- Offers tailored to apprentice’s needs
- Bunnings Trade merchandise
How do you Sign up for a Bunnings PowerPass Apprentice Membership?
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- Apply for PowerPass on the website
- Fill in the details and submit
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What to do, once you've signed up
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The first thing to know is that there is no plastic card issued for a Bunning’s PowerPass member. Your membership is always with you, as the ID card lives on your phone.
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- After you've filled in the application and it’s been processed you will receive an email asking you to confirm your email address, so it’s imperative that we get your email address right.
- After we have verified your email address, you will receive a new email with your CARD NUMBER and a link to download the Bunnings PowerPass App for your phone.
- Load the App, enter your card number and you’re good to go.
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Thanks to our Industry Partners
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