This was posted 4 years 8 months 15 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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[QLD] Free Apprenticeships for all Under 21s (139 Qualifications) @ QLD Government

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The Palaszczuk Government is backing small businesses and young job seekers even further offering free apprenticeships to anyone under 21. The $32 million investment will take away the cost of training from employers and helps an estimated 60,000 young people into a trade. The Premier unveiled the free apprenticeships initiative at today’s launch of the new Skills for Queensland plan. Free apprenticeships will cover the cost of training for apprentices and trainees who commence or are undertaking a priority apprenticeship or traineeship qualification from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2023. The fully subsidised training will be offered in 139 apprentice and traineeship qualifications including:

  • Electrical
  • Plumbing
  • Engineering
  • Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Early childhood

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    • A lot of awards have specific conditions stating that the employer should pay the fee or reimburse the apprentice . As such, this is a benefit for employers rather than young people.

    • +1

      Just another way to punish those people who work hard and are responsible for themselves.

  • +2

    So does this mean that we will have lower prices for trade services (eg: leaking tap, fuse replacement, etc.) in the future because of increased supply?

    • +2

      I hope so, electricians charge through the roof!

      • +4

        Did you get a shock when you saw the invoice?

        • +3

          If ohmly!

      • +1

        I don't think my roof can hold a charge, it's concrete tiles.

      • Ever wondered why so much gear is sold on unlimited outlets to unqualified people?

    • Theoretically but unlikely.

      • +1

        If they flood the labor market in these industries it will make construction/housing cheaper. I think we are the 3rd most expensive place in the world to build even where most of our building materials are locally sourced and in many cases pretty cheap.

        • Yeah potentially, but I think this initiative is unlikely to "flood" the market. The only way to flood would be to change regulations to make it easier for foreign qualification to be recognised, there just isn't enough of a pool in Australia to make significant inroads into price.

          Where there is still extensive training periods, it takes so long to adapt to the changes that you don't realise the benefits for years, and the magnitude might not be that great anyway.

    • I hope this is facetious on purpose.

  • +10

    After completing 3 year apprenticeship

    Employer - 'Thank you your services are no longer required.'

    • +17

      Better than being a uni student, not finding a job and being $50,000 in debt.

      Worst case scenario for a qualified electrician or plumber is advertising online and working for only $30/hour.

      • +4

        Absolutely, can't take a trade away - if the employer can't keep them on at least they have learned the skills and got the qualifications

        • +1

          Fair points, I was thinking more from the employer context for using it as a revolving door of cheap labour.

          • +2

            @Skinnerr: If you want cheap labour, pay a labourer minimum wage. The reason they need to subsidise this stuff is because it's not so much the wages for an apprentice but the time. The incentive is there to keep apprentices on after they finish by training them right to do a good job by year three, so it's better value to have that person than a fresh first year.

          • @Skinnerr: They can already hire people at minimum wage - and they're already not doing that presumably which is why this is needed.

          • +2

            @Skinnerr: Trust me. Apprentices ARE NOT cheap labour. They get paid peanuts, but they need training, supervision, constantly ask questions. These things cost. The employer has to pay a qualified employee to oversee and answer. All the way up to third year usually. Also apprentices make a huge amount of mistakes, work slowly in comparison and destroy a lot of product.
            They cost a lot to train.
            As for the revolving door bit, at least the door revolves one unqualified in and one qualified and ready to work out with no debt to the employee. Better than an arts degree.

            • +2

              @lette: Pretty much how it was when I was did an apprenticeship through an agency several years ago. The host paid the agency for my wages with nearly $5000 taken out as the agency's 'fee' each year ontop of the $8000 spent for my 2 certifications over 3 years.

              The cost of lost time it would have taken for staff to train me, the 12 or so months it took for me to work independently and the countless mistakes made along the way would have been a lot more $$$ than what they paid the agency for sure!

              Though I also cheated the system by studying at University at the same time ;)

      • If you're self employed and working for that price you are running at a loss.

      • Picture this: Electrician on 80k getting bored so he goes to uni to become an engineer. Meanwhile the market is flooded and he works as an engineer for 75k and has to repay hecs. Easier work but in hindsight he regrets it!

    • +5

      Then you start your own business and compete against the ex-employer. Any tradie has good skills and work ethic after their 3 years is not going to have any issues finding work with another company anyway.

    • This happen to me, as a university grad after one year working for my ex-employer.

    • this dosent happen, a company dosent invest 3-4 years into someone just to let them go. Its always the other way around, you wont get a good pay bump unless you leave so you see people finish their apprenticeships work for about a year then jump to another company to get more. (I did a drafting apprenticeship)

      • +2

        I've seen a couple of guys let go straight after their apprenticeships. The ones with a good work ethic and ability seem to be kept around though.

    • You'd have 3 years of relevant work experience - and all the skills and industry contacts - you've gained in that period that you wouldn't have had otherwise.

      Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

  • +1

    Whilst I'm happy for the potentially unemployed under 21s out there looking to get something out of this, I can't not read this

    The $32 million investment will take away the cost of training from employers

    and see that all those employers who probably would have been paying for apprenticeships now doing it for free. At our expense.

    Yes, there'll be small businesses, sole traders and the like who possibly will make use of this, taking on an apprentice that they may not have due to the cost; but I really see this as ending up as a cash saving for big businesses.

    • +2

      Better to hand out cash to them under the pretense of getting people trained and employed.

    • +3

      I don't have numbers but wouldn't the majority of apprentices be employed by small rather than big business? ie local plumbers, electricians etc?

      • I don't doubt it - you look at how many locals there are, surely even with only one/two apprentices they'd be a big proportion.

        But who's going to take/get more advantage of this? The small businesses that aren't looking for more apprentices, don't know about this plan (don't browse OzBargain!) or just aren't interested vs the number of large businesses, ones with 10s-100s of apprentices, and possibly would have known about the plan prior to the announcement…

        I'd be interested in seeing where the lions share of the $32mil goes, put it that way.

        Keep in mind I'm not saying that the money's not going towards apprentices, I'm worried that it may be going to businesses that didn't really need it.

        • I'm worried that it may be going to businesses that didn't really need it.

          If there's an extra apprentice employed and gaining skills, does it really matter if the person employing them is a big or small business? Why should it be the aim to discriminate here?

          • @HighAndDry: It's not the aim. It's about effective use of resources (which of course government has a great name for).

            Is that business not going to employ the apprentice because they didn't get the funding?

            For a small business - quite possible. For a big business, not so much.

            • @Chandler:

              For a small business - quite possible. For a big business, not so much.

              I don't know that this would make a difference. Money is money - big and small businesses both in it to make it. Plus - a fixed amount of money tends to mean more to those with less money, proportionally, than those with more.

              It wasn't rich people popping out kids for the $5k baby bonus after all.

    • +7

      Nope. This is only for people under 21. "millenials" are older than that.

  • +1

    All the way with Palishay

  • +12

    A lot of comments here focusing on 'tradies', but the initiative also covers:

    • Engineering
    • Healthcare
    • Hospitality
    • Early childhood

    And before anyone questions why hospitality is included, I imagine that for a state that has a lot of tourism these skills are similarly in demand.

    • +1

      With engineering, they're abusing the term. You don't become an engineer (a degree qualification) from these courses. Their definitions of "engineering" are mostly metalworking of many types, plus locksmithing and becoming an electronics technician. "Industrial fabrication" would be a more accurate description than "engineering".

      Full list here: https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/training-careers/incentive…

      I can see hospitality (mostly cooking and baking) and early childhood positions, but where are the "healthcare" positions? "Certificate III in Individual Support"?

  • i would like to find a good job to improve my english (i have lot of degrees in business and law) but it's really hard to find :(

    So if someone can advise me a good website :)

    • +1

      Rather than a website, join a club that involves talking. Perhaps Toastmasters or Rotary or similar. Or you could do some volunteer work at meals on wheels or other charity, you'll find the people at charities are very friendly and helpful.

      However for the finer points of English, like "its" versus "it's", you'll probably have to consult a book on grammar. The only one I can remember (from many years ago at university) is the "The Little, Brown Handbook". According to Trove, that book is available to read (but not to borrow) at UQ library: https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/5877472?q&sort=holdings+desc&_…

      If you like it, you can buy the book for as little as AU$19 delivered: https://booko.com.au/works/975737

    • Get some jumpers from the op shop and slave on in England. You get 2 years as for exchange quotas. It is not all that bad, and btw English does start with a capital, it is also my 3rd language and yes I did my time on the island and it was fun!

    • I would recommend joining a club or volunteering as well. You will find that these type of people are generally more open and willing to help people and would probably be open to helping with language stuff.

      Also, maybe working as a language tutor for students? Even if you're English isn't great, as long as you can communicate your native grammar back to people you will learn that way. You can treat it as a two way learning situation.

      • yes i would like to work as tutor but you know, i'm not a french teacher and in australia, they ask some professional experience in this area :(

  • -1

    There is no such thing as "The Palaszczuk Government" it is just called the Government.

    • +4

      Governments are typically labelled by the name of the party/party leader.

      i.e. Liberal Government, Labour Government; Palaszczuk Government, Newman Government, etc.

      Yes, this plan is being executed by the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, little to none of whom are elected politicians. But it does get rubber stamped by the Government and thus they take the credit (and the flak) for it.

      Gets interesting when you have plans put in place by previous governments that then come to fruition / ruination during a future governments term.
      See also: Rail Fail.

    • +1

      Quick Google will show you that "Palaszczuk Government" is a term used on government websites.

    • -1

      There are 3 levels, all came into existence at a different time and voters should have the freedom of speech to differentiate. Currently most Queenslanders enjoy 2 forms of democracy and I call the 3rd anarchy!

  • -1

    Good for those who can get a gig but for me, this is not what a government should be doing with taxpayers money. All they need to do is get their tax settings and employment laws right and cut red-tape and businesses will come. The socialist Queensland government is drowning is state debt, yet still employing thousands more public servants - insanity. WA, where I live also has a left-wing Labor government but they are keeping a lid on employee numbers and not goving wage rises - meaning that they are making a good hash of reducing their, enormous, debt.

    Bad move IMO.

    • +2

      I think that's a little close minded, the market has failed in that there isn't enough incentive for apprentices to be taken on and these skill shortages to be met. In the context of all the money the governements spend, this is probably one of the better uses of money in terms of producing net benefit for society. More skills is good, more employment is good, and it's actually not that much money.

    • +1

      Yeh shutup ey you have no idea.

      Newman cut swathes of people for services that then got subcontratced out at often millions of dollars more. For example all government typists got cut, then the govenrment had to subbie out for typists at a cost of about 10 times more than the cost of the employees they sacked. In my area we have to send off heaps of work to consultants because the people in our area who could do them got sacked.

      • It takes a lot of people to run a government - while they can be inefficient, they don't get better by getting rid of people, the bill at the big four accounting firms just goes up as have their fingers in everything, even where they add zero value.

      • I tell you what champ, I'll debate you about anything but please don't get personal and tell me to shut up.

        In the meantime, grow up.

  • +2

    This post made me think TA is a media advisor to the QLD Premier. Then I realised its just quoting one.

  • +7

    Certificate IV in Racing (Jockey) seems to be a stupid thing to offer as one of the free ones as this does not raise the standard of a society. All it's doing is subsidising the gambling industry.

  • +1

    i'm under 32. does that count?

    • +1

      While your comment demonstrates you could benefit from these programs, unfortunately no, 32 is not 21.

    • +1

      Depends how far under 32. 11 years or more by any chance?

  • +2

    Wheres the bargain

  • +3

    Age discrimination! +1

    Not a bargain at all!

  • +2

    Damn. Here I am, 31 with a huge hecs debt, in a job that doesnt use my degree.
    If this was around when I was 21, definitely would have gone to do an electrical apprenticeship.

    • +1

      With the right apprenticeship in 2009 you could have been making $200k plus on the mines.

  • +2

    The problem isn't a lack of skilled workers, the problem is a lack of JOBS! A friend of mine works at bunnings and told me the last time they advertised for warehouse staff they received 1100 applications.

    • This. There isn't a shortage of trades currently and wages in the sector, especially for sole traders has been stagnate for years. Queensland has terrible employment currently and flooding the market with more trades won't solve this.

  • +1

    It's likely a move to get competitive with other states and gets the biggest employers of apprentices in QLD; the GTOs onside. This following many being hit with large unforseen backpayments following a court decision in 2017 on the correct minimum wages for apprentices in QLD.

    In might be sold as helping young people though it's a political move to keep employer groups happy.

  • +2

    I’m an apprentice in Queensland for an electrical sole trader and pay for my own tafe training. So my employee won’t benefit and is no way more likely to put on another apprentice. Just more smoke and mirrors.

    • +2

      Almost all employers of apprentices in Qld need to pay the Tafe fees. There is a small cohort of sole traders who don't who I assume you belong. Everyone else should benefit though.

      • +1

        Cheers for the correction, I might be due for a bonus :)

  • Late to the game but a few things to consider (QLD) :

    The government already pays for most of an apprentices training.

    Currently apprentices who finish year 12 and commence an apprenticeship within 12 months do not pay any fees. $0

    Otherwise apprentices co-contribute roughly 10% of the cost of their training. ($1500 ish over 4 years)

    Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people's and people with a health care concession card are eligible for a discount of up to 60% on this amount.

    Ordinarily an apprentice is charged and their employer is required to reimburse them within 3 months, an employer can meet their obligations by paying for the training on apprentices behalf.

    A not insignificant amount of employers do not reimburse or pay their apprentices fees.

    Businesses who employ apprentices are also eligible for discounted/free workers compensation insurance and can get financial incentives from the government for employing and completing apprentices.

  • -2

    Aah, tradies and unions - the ALP "Base" - screw the people that want to go to UNi. My son did a law degree, then he had to do PLT - PRactical Legal Training - another $10K just to go through some online stuff with bugger all supervision or mentoring. THen get admitted. Pay your annual fee to be a solicitor - but wait, you can't actually practice law, you have to be "under supervision" for two more years, and guess what - no one is hiring graduate lawyers - everyone wants a couple of years of experience, or 6.5+ GPAs.

    SUre there is a glut of lawyers. This will just create a glut of tradies. And talkng to some tradie friends, the market is dead at the moment - bugger all work out there…

    • +2

      It was the ALP who removed quotas on most university courses. Universities quickly determined that law degrees are in demand and profitable. Doubling enrolments only requires a few extra grad students to run tutorials. Online delivery of lectures means you don't need to add more lecture halls or even senior staff.

      Increasing the number of graduates doesn't automatically increase the number of jobs in that field!

    • The whole premise of these subsidy programs is to fill skill shortages in industries by making it more appealing for businesses big and small to take on apprentices. No one is stopping anyone from going to Uni but a lot of people would prefer not to be in debt $50k+ to become certified in a potentially flooded industry. It seems like you are misguided with your hate, its not the governments fault that there are to many lawyers, blame it on the universities who push people into these industries knowing that they will most likely not find jobs.

  • +2
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