Skills, Training and Industrial Relations Minister Michael Pettersson at the new Woden CIT. Payments will make a tremendous difference to apprentices, he says. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
Apprentices and trainees will receive more support in next week’s budget as the ACT Government puts a premium on boosting skills and vocational education in general.
In a $1.8 million package, all ACT-based apprentices and trainees will receive a $250 payment next year, with first-year apprentices and trainees receiving an additional $250 to help cover the cost of tools and equipment.
This follows the government’s 2024 cost-of-living payment, and also builds on the Federal Government’s $10,000 completion incentive payments for apprentices working in housing construction that start from 1 July this year.
As promised, the government will also reduce light trailer and caravan registration fees up to $150 for 12 months between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026, which will benefit tradies who rely on trailers to transport tools and equipment.
The government will also invest over the next three years in Canberra Institute of Technology’s Cloud Campus Program to deliver improved digital learning platforms and business systems to modernise training across the Territory.
The budget will also deliver major upgrades at CIT campuses, including the new Woden campus, and funding to meet the Territory’s commitments under the National Skills Agreement, including $16 million for the new Electric Vehicle TAFE Centre of Excellence.
There will also be ongoing operational funding for the new CIT Woden and Yurauna, a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Educational Centre of Excellence.
Treasurer Chris Steel said the CIT Cloud Campus would help CIT manage its finances.
Speaking at CIT Woden, which opens on 21 July, Treasurer Chris Steel said continued investment in public TAFE and skilling up Canberrans for the jobs of the future would be critical to meeting government goals in early childhood, education, the care economy and new housing.
“We are making a significant investment in skilling Canberrans in in-demand jobs that will be needed here in Canberra, particularly to meet our housing goal of 30,000 new homes by 2030,” he said.
“We do need a pipeline of apprentices and so we will be supporting our apprentices and trainees by continuing a payment of $250 that will be provided in the next financial year, to support them with meeting cost of living, but also, potentially meeting the costs of getting the tools and equipment that they need for their vocational education and training.”
Skills, Training and Industrial Relations Minister Michael Pettersson said cost-of-living pressures were keenly felt by some of the lowest paid workers in Canberra, and that included apprentices.
Mr Pettersson said about 4000 apprentices would benefit.
“A first-year apprentice is likely making about $550 per week,” he said.
“So this payment of $500 for a first-year apprentice will make a tremendous difference for those commonly young people.”
Mr Pettersson said the CIT Cloud Campus was a bespoke digital solution that would improve the efficiency of CIT for students and teachers.
The $16 million commitment to the EV Centre of Excellence would provide upgrades to the physical space in which students are learning, but also mobile learning units so the centre could take its offering further afield.
Mr Steel only recently had to plug a $5.3m gap in CIT’s budget and said the government would continue to work with CIT to ensure it was funded adequately.
But the CIT Cloud Campus was not just about the student learning management system but also CIT’s financial management.
“That will assist them to be able to continue to manage their budget and ensure that they can make the finances associated with the cost of delivering their courses remains up to date,” Mr Steel said.
“So, I’m sure that that is something that the new CEO of CIT will be looking forward to completing so that they can continue to work with the ACT Government to make sure that they are financially sustainable and long-term.”
