Shorten set to unveil apprenticeship plan

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is set to announce a plan to help those struggling to find work.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten Source: AAP

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will unveil a $62 million plan to help Australians struggling to find work.

Mr Shorten will announce his Apprentice Ready program, expected to create 10,000 new positions, in Perth on Tuesday.

It'll offer a 20-week pre-apprenticeship course for trades on the national skills needs list and will be targeted at youth unemployed for more than six months.

Employers will be paid $1000 for hiring apprentices from the program.

Mr Shorten is also to announce a pilot for a new program with 5000 places to help mature-aged workers turn work experience into qualifications.

It aims to have mature-aged apprentices complete their training within 18 months to get jobs in industries with skills shortages.

"Labor won't let Australians fall behind because there is a gap between the skills they have and the ones employers are looking for," Mr Shorten said.

"Our plans will stop the rapid fall in Australians taking up a trade."

Labor will set a target for one in 10 jobs on priority infrastructure projects to be filled by apprentices.

It will conduct a review of the vocational education and training system and has pledged to rid the sector of dodgy operators.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world