In Budget 2023, the Government has announced that the Apprenticeship Boost (due to end on 31 December 2023) has been extended until the end of 2024.

Here are the key points announced on 18 May 2023:

• Employers can get Apprenticeship Boost support for up to 24 months per apprentice, paid monthly in advance.
• The first-year subsidy and second-year subsidy rates will continue to be $500 rate per month.

Masterlink and Master Plumbers welcome the extension of this scheme. We have lobbied government for many years advocating financial support for businesses employing apprentices. We believe training apprentices is the best solution to workforce shortages in our industry.

We are delighted that the Apprenticeship Boost has encouraged more businesses to take on apprentices – many for the first time. We will continue to work towards increasing the number of quality people entering our trades and the number of businesses passing their skills on to them.

Masterlink would like to thank our host companies for training our apprentices. They are playing a vital role in maintaining a steady stream of qualified tradespeople – now and into the future.

You can read more about the Apprenticeship Boost initiative here