The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) has commended the Federal and State Governments’ commitment to vocational training, and apprentice wage subsidies for small and medium businesses through a $2.5 billion package, a vital lifeline NECA has called for in its Four Point Plan to kickstart the economy.

“This an excellent and much needed commitment by our Federal and State governments, one which we have been calling for. This package takes a crucial step toward ensuring a skilled and healthy trade industry to support the Australian economy as we emerge out of this pandemic,” Suresh Manickam, CEO of NECA said.

“To further strengthen the recovery, NECA recommends the Government consider extending the apprentice wage subsidy to large businesses as they are often the largest employers of electrical apprentices in our sector.”

The JobTrainer package includes a $1.5 billion wage subsidy from the Federal Government, in conjunction with a $500 million investment, ensuring the quality and relevance of the vocational education sector into the future. The states and territories are expected to contribute a further combined $500 million to support VET up-skilling.

“Investment in VET is great, but we need to ensure that these funds reach the most effective training organisations to see return. NECA’s group training model for example has seen most apprentices who qualify go directly into employment, and has also seen most keep their jobs during this challenging period,” Mr Manickam said.

Further detail on these recommendations and more information on NECA’s Four Point Plan can be seen here.

ENDS