State, territory, and Australian governments offer assistance to help all Australians access vocational education and training (VET).
These include programs to support:
Programs and assistance vary from state to state. To find out more about the funding and support programs described below, contact the training authority in your state or territory.
Employees with a disability
Employees with disabilities have special requirements. If your employees are participating in off-the-job training, the registered training organisation (RTO) will need to demonstrate adequate levels of disability access.
Financial support is available to employers who take on apprentices with disabilities. The Disabled Apprenticeship Wage Support (DAWS) program provides a wage to an employer of an apprentice with a disability.
Assistance to purchase equipment and make modifications for an Australian Apprentice to undertake all training and work required under the training program, may be available.
Indigenous employees
There are numerous Australian, state and territory government programs that assist Indigenous Australians increase their level of occupational skills and provide ongoing training and employment opportunities.
Your state or territory training authority can provide information about training options for Indigenous employees.
Structured Training and Employment Projects
Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP) provides funding to employers of Indigenous Australians.
STEP funding is negotiated directly with the employer and can involve differing levels of training including on-the-job training, apprenticeships and traineeships depending on the employer's needs.
Organisations such as Diversity@work assist employers who want to learn more about Indigenous cultures and the workplace.
Employees with low literacy and numeracy skills
Employees with low literacy and/or numeracy skills or who are from non-English-speaking backgrounds, can access programs that will help them improve their participation in employment and training.
Language, literacy and numeracy training can be delivered independently or as part of an existing training plan. An RTO can assess an employee's literacy and/or numeracy skills and design a program that will address their specific needs.
The Australian Government has established a funding program called Workplace English Language and Literacy Program (WELL) to assist enterprises to incorporate language, literacy and numeracy training into VET training programs. Employers are expected to contribute at least 25 per cent of training costs and provide regular reports.
There are a number of organisations such as the Australian Council for Adult Literacy that you can contact for information on current literacy and numeracy policies and services in Australia.
Employees in remote communities
Programs have been designed by state and territory and Australian governments to increase training and support economic and community development in regional Australia.
The Australian Government's rural and regional New Apprenticeships incentive gives employers in non-metropolitan areas an additional $1,100 incentive payment for some New Apprenticeships in occupations identified as being in an area of skill shortage.
Advances in technology have made training more accessible to people in regional and remote areas. Online learning is a major growth area in VET and enables people to access courses and tuition via the Internet.
Ask your state or territory training authority for information about flexible training options for employees in remote areas.
