Nearly $100 million has been allocated for the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships initiative, which was announced by the Australian Government as part of the Apprenticeships Reform element of the Building Australia’s Future Workforce package. The initiative forms part of the Australian Government’s initial response to the recommendations of the Apprenticeships for the 21st Century Expert Panel.
The overarching aim of the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships initiative is to support a systemic shift to competency-based progression and completion in vocational education and training with a focus on Australian Apprenticeships. The initiative aims to achieve this by supporting industry to develop and implement innovative strategies that embed and further the reach of competency-based progression.
Program Guidelines for the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships initiative are now available and the Program is open to receive applications for funding. The Program Guidelines, Application Form, an example of a Funding Agreement and frequently asked questions are available below.
Applicants will also need to electronically submit a Financial Viability form with their application for funding. This form is available on request from the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships mailbox: AcceleratedAustralianApprenticeships@deewr.gov.au.
Australian Government Skills Connect is a new service designed to help link eligible Australian enterprises with a range of skills and workforce development programs and funding. It brings together funding from six different training and workforce development programs to better target industry and worker training. Australian Government Skills Connect will allow employers to address their overall workforce development needs, and the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships initiative can be accessed via this new service. Further information and a Request for Assistance form can be found at Skills Connect.
Additional information on Australian Apprenticeships Budget measures can be found on the Budget 2011 page and further information on Budget measures can be found on the DEEWR website.
Email AcceleratedAustralianApprenticeships@deewr.gov.au or call 13 38 73 (8.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday).
The Skills Builder Scoping Study will investigate the feasibility of the development of an online automated tool (Skills Builder) that enables an individual to manually input their skills to generate a skills profile or map.
The Skills Builder Scoping Study was announced as part of the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships package in the Australian Government's 2011-12 Budget. The initiative is to provide support for Australian Apprentices to achieve their trade qualification as soon as the required competencies are demonstrated. The Skills Builder Scoping Study is to determine DEEWR’s ability to develop an automated tool to assist individuals to make more informed choices about pathways. The Skills Builder tool is intended to assist, not only Australian Apprentices, but any individual interested in furthering their education or seeking a career change.
Miles Morgan Australia Pty Ltd was the successful tenderer and will undertake the Skills Builder Scoping Study with support from Hobsons. Miles Morgan and Hobsons will be consulting with stakeholders throughout Australia from November 2011 to February 2012 to discuss the feasibility of such a tool, the issues it might address in various jurisdictions, and the data and technical issues associated with its potential development.
The consultation schedule of workshops and interviews will be finalised shortly. In the meantime, if you have any queries about the project, please feel free email the project manager at DEEWR on skillsbuilderstudy@deewr.gov.au.
Further information on Australian Apprenticeships Budget measures can be found on the Budget 2011 page and information on measures announced as part of the May Budget can be found on the DEEWR budget page.