If you’re thinking about upskilling your team, now is the time to do it. As part of its plan to recover Australia’s economy, the Australian Government has announced a $1.2 billion Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy that’s available now until 30 September 2021. In essence, if you engage an Australian Apprentice, you may be eligible for a subsidy of 50% of that person’s wages from 5 October 2020 through until 30 September 2021, to a maximum of $7,000 per quarter. You can engage up to 30 apprentices and get the same subsidy for each! To be eligible, the apprentice or trainee must be undertaking a Certificate II or higher qualification and have a training contract that’s been formally approved by the state training authority. The subsidy is only available for new employees (engaged within the past three months) and existing casual workers who move into a part-time or full-time Australian Apprenticeship, or move from part-time employment to a full-time Australian Apprenticeship.* There is no limit to existing workers who commence a trades-based Australian Apprenticeship. To benefit from this subsidy, you’ll need to act fast as it’s only available to a total of 100,000 workers across the country and is not available in conjunction with other Australian Government wage subsidies such as Supporting Apprentices and Trainees, JobKeeper or the JobMaker Hiring Credit. For more information read the Boosting Apprenticeships Commencements fact sheet. Time to Grow? If you’re looking to develop your business, now is a great time to grow and upskill your team. Alternatively, you may consider engaging contractors who can introduce specialist skills to your existing workforce. As one of few companies to be approved by the Department of Home Affairs (Immigration) to on-hire overseas professionals, the Ayers Group is able to hire employees on 482 Visas who will then be free to contract their services to you. We can also manage your contractor arrangements and your payroll with a customised payroll solution that’s white-labelled and ready to be branded with your company logo for the most professional image. Find out more about how we can help your company grow – talk to an expert from the Ayers Group today.