Skilling Australians Fund and Apprenticeships

The introduction of the training levy, via contributions to the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF), has added significantly to the cost to the employer of lodging certain visa applications, including TSS and Employer Nominations.

Since the commencement of the SAF in August 2018, there has been little specific information available about how these funds are being used.

In a joint Media Release of The Hon Michael McCormack MP and Senator The Hon Michaelia Cash, it was announced that from 1 January 2019, a new subsidy under the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program (AAIP), will support up to 1630 new Australian apprentices in areas such as plumbing, mechanical, electrical, painting and hairdressing.

Such subsidies, the Media Release explained, highlighted the vital importance of investment in the Skilling Australians Fund to support thousands of additional pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships and higher apprenticeships, especially in regional Australia.

To date, we have not seen figures for the SAF itself; it was anticipated in the May 2017 Budget that employer contributions to the SAF would raise revenue in excess of $1.2 billion over a 4 year period.

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