Macarthur businesses can now apply for support to boost the skills of their workforce under the $476 million Industry Skills Fund.
“Businesses in Macarthur will be able to take advantage of the Industry Skills Fund to upskill or retrain their employees,” says the Federal Member for Macarthur, Russell Matheson.
“The fund will help Macarthur businesses with training places and skills advice over the next four years. We want to offer real help and real solutions to the mining, construction and agricultural industries.
“In contrast, Labor wasted billions of dollars on skills programs that failed to deliver training that led to real jobs.
“The era of training for training’s sake is over.
“Employers will be supported to decide what training is needed in their business, and which training provider they want to work with.
“The Industry Skills Fund is a key part of the Abbott Government’s ambitious program of vocational education and training (VET) reform to lift the quality of both training providers and their courses, enhancing the contribution VET makes to the employment prospects of students and the competitiveness of Australia’s economy,” Mr Matheson said.
Businesses wanting support to train workers will be required to make a contribution of between 25 and 75 per cent to the cost of training. The co-contribution rate depends on the number of employees, with smaller businesses receiving higher levels of support.
Guidelines and more information are available at www.business.gov.au/industryskillsfund. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, throughout the year.
