Mission Australia congratulates Thomas Spottswood Australian  Apprentice of the Year

Thomas Spottswood, a client of Mission Australia’s Australian Apprenticeships Centres, received the Australian Apprentice of the Year Award at a ceremony held in Hobart on 8 November 2007.

The ceremony acknowledges successful apprentices from each state and selects a national winner based on the apprentice’s career and study achievements, personal skills and relevant achievements in areas other than study and work.

To be eligible for the Australian Apprentice of the Year Award, Thomas first had to win his Queensland regional and state divisions.

After completing an apprenticeship in Engineering (Mechanical Fitting and Turning) with Wide Bay Group Training Scheme Limited in 2006, Thomas is now employed by Hyne Timber as a Project Fitter.

Thomas strongly advocates AAC and believes an apprenticeship is an extremely rewarding career path.

Mission Australia congratulates Thomas on receiving this well deserved accolade and wishes him every success in his engineering career.

INCENTIVES
More incentives to take up an Australian Apprenticeship whatever stage of your career.
Support for Mid-Career Apprentices (SMCA)
From 1 July 2007, additional financial incentives will be offered to mid-career Australians aged 30 years and older who take up an Australian Apprenticeship at Certificate III or IV level in a trade occupation in high demand.*

The incentive, payable to the Australian Apprentice or employer – dependant on their industrial arrangements – will be $150 per week ($7800 per annum) in the first year of the Australian Apprenticeship and $100 per week ($5200 per annum) in the second year.

Payments received under the Support for Mid-Career Apprentice incentive are treated as assessable income for both employers and Australian Apprentices.

Australian Apprentice Wage ‘Top-up’
From 1 July 2007, additional financial incentives will be offered to all first and second year Australian Apprentices under the age of 30 who are undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship in a trade occupation in high demand.*

Eligible Apprentices will receive $500 payments at the 6, 12, 18 and 24 month points of their Australian Apprenticeship.
The initiative will commence from 1 July 2007 for both new and existing Australian Apprentices who will receive their first payment from January 2008.

Payments received under the Wage ‘Top-up’ incentive are tax free.

Claims can be made for the Support for Mid-Career Apprentice and Australian Apprentice Wage ‘top-up’ with your Mission Australia Australian Apprenticeships Centre.

*trade occupations in high demand are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List which can be viewed at http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/skilled-occupations/occupations-in-demand.htm.

Business Skills Vouchers to assist Australian Apprentices
A business skills voucher of $500 is available to eligible Australian Apprentices and newly qualified trades people to undertake accredited business skills training.

Both employers and self employed trades people will benefit from this initiative: employers will benefit from employees who have a greater understanding of business drivers; and self employed tradespeople will acquire skills to help manage their own small business.

Australian Apprentices who are undertaking a traditional trade may apply from the end of their second year and up to two years from completion of their trade qualification.

The voucher can be used at any organisation approved by the Department of Education, Science and Training to deliver voucher eligible business training units from the business services training package.

For more information on Business Skills Vouchers contact
www.skillsvouchers.dest.gov.au or phone 13 38 73.