Apprentice groups call for greater government support

Australian Apprenticeship Employment Network CEO Gary Workman says he believes there is a wider role for government in supporting young apprenticeships entering the workforce for the first time. The Victorian government will spend nearly $41 billion over the next four years to create local jobs as the state budget looks to boost the post-pandemic recovery. “We’d like to see the government provide more support apart from just wage subsidies to try and support employers out there to take in the right young person,” Mr Workman told Sky News. “The environments are fairly complex; we’ve got expectations from a young person and its really their first entry into the world of work and you’ve got employers who have sometimes a very different set of expectations. “And they’re busy trying to get through the work they have on a day-to-day basis.” Some job sectors saw a drop off in workers over the course of the pandemic as the incoming rate of skilled migrants significantly decreased due to international border closures. “Australians have relied on skilled migration for years now to get our skills needs in a lot of these apprenticeship areas,” Mr Workman said. Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au