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Financial Assistance

As an Australian Apprentice you may be eligible for extra financial assistance to help you succeed and make the most of your apprenticeship / traineeship. These include:

Start-Up Assistance

Start-Up Assistance provides financial assistance (up to $300) to eligible Queensland Apprentices and trainees to help buy the tools and protective equipment they need to get started (excluding uniforms). Any tools or equipment purchased become the permanent property of the apprentice or trainee.

Tool for Your Trade

The Tools For Your Trade Initiative commenced on 1 July 2005 for eligible Australian Apprentices. The Initiative helps to alleviate the financial burden on eligible Australian Apprentices in the first year of their apprenticeship by providing tool kits worth up to $800 including GST. The Tools For Your Trade Initiative is an additional incentive targeted to Australian Apprentices. Tools received under the Tools for Your Trade Initiative are not to affect or displace any tool allowance received as part of an award, or any private arrangement between the employer and the Australian Apprentice for the provision of tools. (www.toolsforyourtrade.com.au)

Living Away from Home Allowance

The Government has now extended the Living Away from Home Allowance to Australian Apprentices in the third year of their apprenticeships. If you have had to move away from your 'family' home to take up or remain in a Australian Apprenticeship, or need to relocate to receive essential training, you could be eligible for a Living Away From Home Allowance. The allowance is paid for up to 36 months.

First year - $77.17 a week (up to 12 months)
Second year - $38.59 a week (up to 12 months)
Third year - $25.00 a week (up to 12 months)

Youth Allowance, Abstudy and Austudy

Australian Apprentices are now able to apply for assistance under Youth Allowance, Austudy payment or ABSTUDY, subject to the application of parental and personal income tests. Under this initiative, Australian Apprentices may be eligible to receive extra support from the Government while their wages are at their lowest, reinforcing the importance of skills and trade training and providing another incentive for young people to enter into and to complete an apprenticeship.

Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship

The Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship consists of two $500 tax exempt payments which will be available to eligible trade Australian Apprentices undertaking a qualification leading to an occupation in an area of skills needs. The scholarship will be limited to Australian Apprentices employed by small and medium business (with 500 or fewer employees). An exception to this rule will be made in relation to large employers who happen to be Group Training Organisations on the National Register of GTOs. In these cases, employer size is not to be taken into account when determining eligibility to the scholarship.

Support for People with a Disability

If you have a disability that would prevent you from starting an Australian Apprenticeship because you are mobility restricted or need equipment enhancements to enable you to undertake on-the-job-training, then the Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support may be for you. Under the Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support, your employer would be eligible to receive an incentive to accommodate your physical employment needs by providing modifications to the workplace to enable you to fully undertake all training and work experience required under the training programme.

Travel and Accommodation Assistance

Apprentices and trainees who have to travel to attend courses in relation to their training program may be eligible for a travel and accommodation allowance. This allowance is paid to the apprentice or trainee after each period of course instruction. To be eligible for these subsidies, the apprentice or trainee must travel at least 100 kilometres (round trip). The subsidies are paid for travel to the closest supervising registered training organisation that is able to deliver the training program. Eligible apprentices and trainees may receive assistance for their travel to and from required training and, where training is undertaken on a block release basis, for a daily accommodation subsidy during that training.

Tool Allowance

For some apprenticeships, employers must provide their apprentices with tools to a stated retail value as part of the trade award. This tool allowance is not affected by any tools received under the 'Tool for Your Trade' Initiative.