Skills for the Future
Skills for the Future is a set of major new initiatives, announced by the Prime Minister on 12 October 2006. These initiatives worth $837 million over five years, will focus on the need for continuous upgrading of skills over the course of an individual's working life.
Skills for the Future includes a major investment in improving the basic skills of Australia's workforce. It will especially assist adults to gain literacy and numeracy skills that are basic requirements in the workplace.
Business Skills Vouchers worth up to $500 are now available to apprentices or newly qualified tradespersons in traditional trades as a contribution towards the costs of undertaking accredited business skills training.
Australian businesses will need higher level skills and the ability to continuously upgrade workforce skills to remain competitive. Therefore from 1 January 2007, incentives for higher technical skills of at least $4 000 for Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications, particularly in engineering fields were introduced. A total of 17 qualifications at the Diploma and Advanced Diploma level are eligible to attract employer incentive payments under the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive Programme.
Qualifications included in this programme that are relevant to the food and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries are from the PML04 Laboratory Operations Training Package:
- PML50104 - Diploma of Laboratory Technology
- PML60104 - Advanced Diploma of Laboratory Operations
From 1 July 2007, the Australian Government will provide financial support for mid-career workers (aged 30 years or more) to upgrade their skills through an apprenticeship in a trade occupation in high demand. The payment is made to either the employer or the apprentice (depending on award arrangements) and will be set at $150 per week ($7 800 per annum) in the first year and $100 per week ($5 200 per annum) in the second year.
For more information go to the Skills for the Future website at http://www.dest.gov.au/skillsforthefuture.