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NEWSLETTER

20 April 2020
  • Pulling together in a crisis: CEO's message
  • JobKeeper wage subsidy provides a lifeline
  • Apprentice and Trainee Re-engagement Register operational
  • NAEN to commence new Indigenous employment contract
  • Apprentice system needs refinement, not overhaul: NCVER
  • 'Thanks Geoff' – you’ve been marvellous!
  • National Careers Institute grant applications open
  • Group training features on Tradeswoman Australia industry panel
  • Free business advice on how to cope with COVID-19
  • Busy At Work to manage scholarship program
  • AATIS launches social media hubs to support apprentices, trainees, industry
  • East Coast Apprenticeships in running for PM's award
  • Parents get a say in the VET career decision-making
  • Events diary

Pulling together in a crisis: CEO's message


Colleagues,
 
To say that is has been a challenging couple of months is a huge understatement.  We have weaved our way through the impacts of drought, bushfires, rain deluge, and now a pandemic. It seems everything has been thrown at us both personally and professionally, and there is more to come.
 
In January, NAEN’s focus turned to our role following the fires. How could we help? What was our duty? How could we help without putting additional strain on our members and their communities?
 
The national GTO network has a history of stepping up in past times of crisis.  A good example was in 2011 when Queensland suffered widespread flooding followed by a Category 5 cyclone. Group training played a significant role at this time, when large numbers of jobs were at risk including apprentices in-training.  Our crucial role in rebuilding businesses and communities after this tragedy provided the impetus for how we should find our place in the aftermath of this year’s horrific bushfires.

This became a topic of official discussion with government and our state association colleagues in January. Never in our dreams did we imagine that that these early discussions on the nation’s bushfire recovery would prepare us for our current role in supporting GTOs to redeploy possibly thousands of displaced apprentices and trainees from small businesses due to a global pandemic.

Commencing April 2, NAEN took the lead in a critical national campaign to help apprentices and trainees who were laid off due to COVID-19 to find work with new employers.

The Apprentice and Trainee Re-engagement Register was announced as part of the federal government's first economic stimulus measure, Supporting Apprentices and Trainees, with NAEN nominated as the body to operate the register.

We were selected by the Commonwealth to do this because we are the peak body for group training, we have a national network comprising the largest workforce of apprentices and trainees across the country, and we have enormous experience working with small business.

The NAEN website has a link to the Register where displaced apprentices and trainees from any small business can register. They will be encouraged to follow up cancellation of their previous training contract and provide information that helps them to connect with an interested employer of any size, including a GTO.
 
GTOs and employers can post vacancies to recommence apprentices and trainees. Candidates can search for vacancies, and GTOs and employers can search for candidates. Employers of any size that take on a displaced apprentice or trainee may be eligible for a 50 per cent wage subsidy under the Commonwealth's Supporting Apprentices and Trainees initiative to support those impacted by COVID-19.

AASNs will determine final eligibility for wage subsidies of each recommencement. A critical objective for NAEN is to track which candidates recommence. 
 
This is an important national role for NAEN and the group training network over coming months.

NAEN acknowledges that state training authorities may also have out-of-trade registers. The national register may also help those candidates on state registers, to cast the net more widely, and target those who have lost work from small businesses from 1 March 2020.  Our ultimate and united goal is to retain as many apprentices and trainees as possible, and help them to recommence work.

At this unprecedented time, we are all in this together. NAEN knows that many GTOs are also facing difficult conditions at the moment. We continue to advocate to  government on how the important work of group training needs to be closely supported, and to have GTOs' business challenges recognised.

As we adjust to a new normal, we all need to be agile, innovative, adaptive, and look for new opportunities to transform business and maintain our skilled workers of tomorrow. Within the national network for group training, we encourage each other to reach out colleagues, stay focussed, stay safe, and take time to breathe in between the challenges. 

Kind regards

Dianne Dayhew
Chief Executive Officer

JobKeeper wage subsidy provides a lifeline


The federal government's latest economic stimulus measure - the JobKeeper package has now passed the parliament and has become law.
  • The JobKeeper program provides a wage subsidy of $1500 per fortnight for business with an annual turnover of less than $1 billion, if they estimate their turnover has fallen or will likely fall by 30 per cent or more.
  • GTOs listed on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) website as charities will only need to meet a 15 per cent threshold for JobKeeper. 
The program is being run by the Australian Taxation Office. All the necessary information about the program is available on the Treasury website.

A particularly useful item is the Rules, which explains in detail the eligibility and the operation of the 'decline in turnover' test.

Also see The Secrets of Jobkeeper by Robert Gottliebsen in The Australian. 

There are also a number of state and territory government initiatives to assist apprentices, trainees and employers, including:

Jobs and Skills WA Employer Incentive in Western Australia
GTO Boost Funding in South Australia
Business Support Grants in NSW
Economic Survival & Jobs Package in Victoria
$3bn Jobs & Business Support Package in Queensland
Business Support, Grants & Loans in Tasmania

Apprentice and trainee re-engagement register now operational 




Apprentices and trainees from small businesses who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 can now connect with prospective employers to explore ongoing work, through a new national register.

The Apprentice and Trainee Re-engagement Register was announced by the federal government in the first economic stimulus package, and is being operated by NAEN on behalf of the Commonwealth to support displaced apprentices and trainees.

Apprentices and trainees who were in a training contract with a small business at March 1 can register and upload details such as qualifications, work experience and resumes.

Employers of any size, including Group Training Organisations, can post vacancies and take on an apprentice or trainee, and be eligible for a 50 per cent wage subsidy under the
Supporting Apprentices and Trainees initiative.

“For employers, it is a great opportunity to engage an apprentice or trainee who comes with existing training and employment experience under their belt,” NAEN CEO Dianne Dayhew said.

It is also a proud moment for the entire group training sector, being engaged by the Commonwealth to use its nationwide resources to provide a safety net at a time of economic crisis.


See NAEN's media release.

Visit the Apprentice and Trainee Re-engagement Register

Download a flyer
 
Help promote the Register
 
If you are able to help promote the Register, there is a brief news item below you can use in your own communications and share with stakeholders.
 


National register will connect apprentices and trainees with employers to safeguard jobs and careers

Apprentices and trainees from small businesses who recently lost their jobs due to COVID-19 are now able to connect with prospective employers to explore ongoing work, through the Apprentice and Trainee Re-engagement Register

The register enables apprentices and trainees who were in a training contract with a small business at March 1 to upload details such as qualifications, work experience and a resume.

Employers of any size, including Group Training Organisations, can post vacancies and re-engage an apprentice or trainee, and become eligible for a wage subsidy of 50 per cent, under the
Supporting Apprentices and Trainees initiative.

NAEN wins Indigenous training and employment contract


NAEN has been successful in its application to place hundreds of Indigenous people into work and training, under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS).

NAEN has been advised that the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) has approved the application to place 450 people into traineeships, apprenticeships and direct employment.

The three year agreement will involve 250 apprenticeships, 100 general employment placements and 100 school based traineeships.

This follows NAEN's success with a similar program of Indigenous placements, and is a great vote of confidence in the group training network and the member GTOs that achieved outstanding results in their communities.

As with the previous program, NAEN will be working closely with GTOs to place people in work and training around Australia and ensure that all those involved get the chance to start fulfilling jobs and careers.

Apprentice system needs refinement, not overhaul: NCVER


There is strong support for keeping the central elements of apprenticeship system for the traditional trades, according to a new report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

The report, Traditional trade apprenticeships: learnings from the field, says that all the key stakeholders – employers (including GTOs) training providers, apprentices and apprenticeship regulators – feel that that improvements should be at the margin, rather than upending the whole system.

Thirty-three employers, including GTOs and direct employers, from South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland provided information for the study.

“In the main, employers were unable to identify aspects of the apprenticeship system they believed should be removed,” the report said.

“Those few employers who did identify some elements for removal spoke of the need to get rid of bureaucratic red tape, including: the requirement for having an AASN provider complete the sign-up of the training contract (when they were of the view that they themselves were able to do it); and having to report the same training information to multiple regulatory agencies,” it said.

Apprentices spoke of the need for a trust relationship with a tradesperson or more senior co-worker who could act as a role model or mentor.

“Such a role is often described by group training employers as being undertaken by their field officers, who generally develop close bonds with apprentices, especially if the apprentices do not have big brothers or fathers to offer them guidance,” NCVER said.

'Thanks Geoff' – you’ve been marvellous!


Retired AEN Tasmania Executive Officer and former NAEN Board member Geoff Fader celebrated his final state meeting in early March and was recognised for his many years of service.

Leanne Wallace, General Manager of Work & Training presented Geoff with a gift and a certificate of appreciation.

We all share in congratulating Geoff on his service and his landmark role in the development of group training and wish him all the very best in his retirement.
A fitting finale: Geoff Fader at his last state AEN meeting with Leanne Wallace

National Careers Institute grant applications open

Applications are now open for the first round of the National Careers Institute Partnership Grants program.

Grants range from $20,000 to $700,000, and are available for a maximum of two years.

The grants program offer funding for projects where organisations such as industry bodies, employers, schools, tertiary providers, governments and researchers work together to improve career outcomes and education and training pathways.

Round one applications are now open and close June 30.

See more

Group training features on Tradeswoman Australia industry panel


Tradeswomen Australia has commenced a series of live industry panels, with the first kicking off in late March.

NAEN was delighted to be asked to take part, along with Kara Prichard, the South Australia Manager for MAS National.


Listen here.

See Tradeswoman Australia’s upcoming industry panels below in the events calendar.

Free business advice on how to cope with COVID-19


Not-for-profit Law, a specialist legal service for community organisations has developed free resources and webinars to help not-for-profit organisations cope with COVID-19.

These free resources are available
here.

Busy At Work to manage scholarship program


Group training organisation BUSY At Work has been engaged by the federal government to roll out a regional youth scholarship program.

The Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Michaelia Cash, said the Commonwealth Scholarship Program for Young Australians, will provide around 400 scholarships to young people living in 10 regional locations with high levels of youth unemployment.

The scholarships, worth up to $5,000 each, will see participants complete a VET course from Certificate III to Advanced Diploma level and participate in a 20 days of paid internship with a local business.

See more

AATIS launches social media hubs to support apprentices, trainees and industry 
 

The Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service (AATIS) has expanded its support of apprentices with its new online initiative Active AATIS. 

Active AATIS has launched two Facebook groups, Active Apprentices and Active Industry, that will unite affected individuals from around Australia and encourage the sharing of resources, job opportunities, networking opportunities and general support throughout the COVID-19 economic decline.
 
Active Apprentices will support apprentices or trainees, displaced apprentices or trainees or individuals interested in commencing apprenticeships or traineeships.
 
Active Industry will support individuals working in the apprenticeship and VET industries.

The key aims of these hubs are to:
  • Promote accurate information about COVID-19 related initiatives and what they mean for apprentices and the industry
  • Promote the activities of key organisations in the Australian Apprenticeships system, including AASNs, GTOs, RTOs, and governments
  • Answer questions from group members, in a similar manner to the exiting AATIS enquiry service
  • Allow for social connections with peers during times of isolation

East Coast Apprenticeships in running for PM's award


East Coast Apprenticeships is in the running for a prestigious honour in the Prime Minister's Veterans' Employment Awards.

The Queensland group training organisation has been named as a finalist, with the winner to be announced shortly.

East Coast Apprenticeships has developed and conducts the Defence Trade Program, offering support to veterans and their families seeking a trade career. Some 350 veterans have been asisted, to date.
 
Congratulations and best wishes to Alan Sparks and his team for the outstanding work they do to support veterans.
 
Alan has acknowledged the great support that he has received from TAFE Queensland, Bracken Ridge campus and colleague GTOs across the country.

See details  

Parents get a say in the VET career decision-making


The Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service (AATIS) is running a project that will gauge parents' attitudes towards VET as a career pathway for young people.
 
A key part of the project is a survey that aims to understand the level of knowledge parents have of the future of work and what career opportunities exist for young people in the 'digital age'.
 
Although the survey predominantly targets parents, it is open to anyone who plays a significant role in the education and career decision-making processes of young people.
 
There will be a prize draw for participants, who can also agree to join further research. If they prefer, participants can remain anonymous.
 
The second stage of research involves focus groups on developing careers resources for parents. If they agree to participate, they will be contacted via email or telephone for ongoing involvement in the research.
 
Take part in the survey

EVENTS DIARY


National Careers Week
18 - 24 May 2020
See details

National Skills Week 2020
Commencing 24 August 2020
See details

Apprentice Employment Network NSW & ACT
Annual 2020 Skills Conference
5 November 2020
Sydney
More information

Worldskills Australia
28 April - 2 May 2021
Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre
More information

Tradeswomen Australia is hosting a series of live industry panels over coming months

14 April 5.30 AEDT           
Mental health and Wellbeing    
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

28 April 5.30 AEDT
Online Training during the Pandemic. Apprenticeships & Tradespeople 
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

12 May 5.30 AEDT
Leadership during a Pandemic  
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

26 May 5.30 AEDT           
How to stay resiliant during this pandemic           
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

9 June   5.30 AEDT
Finance and fitness        
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

23 June 5.30 AEDT
How to stay productive, How to keep your workers productive 
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

7  July 5.30 AEDT              
Preparing for a post-pandemic world     
Join here: www.tradeswomenaustralia.com.au/industrypanel

 
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