Apprenticeship numbers increasing following Reboot

New enrolments in apprenticeship training have grown by 24 per cent since 2012 following the introduction of the Apprenticeship Reboot scheme last year, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

The Apprenticeship Reboot was announced in January 2013 by Prime Minister John Key alongside an overhaul of the apprenticeship scheme to get more apprentices qualified, especially in construction trades.

Under the Apprenticeship Reboot, eligible apprentices or trainees who sign up for training have been able to apply for a subsidy of $1,000 towards the cost of tools and off-job course costs, or $2,000 for those in priority trades. Employers are also eligible for an equal payment.

Budget 2014 provided $20 million in additional funding for 6000 more Apprenticeship Reboot places bringing total funding for the scheme to $69.4 million and the total number of places to 20,000.

“Figures from the Tertiary Education Commission show the average number of people signing up to apprenticeship training has risen from 827 per month in 2012 to 1028 now – an increase of 24 per cent,” Mr Joyce says.

“Last year there were 33,000 people in apprenticeship training during the year and in this year to date, 26,600 are already participating.
“The Apprenticeship Reboot is proving very successful in getting more apprentices underway, especially in the priority trades we need for the rebuilding of Christchurch and the housing construction boom in Auckland.

“It’s giving more Kiwis vital vocational skills that will set them up for their working lives, while meeting the needs of the growing economy.”

ENDS

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