The State Government will deliver an additional $21.5 million to expand the highly successful Group Training Organisation (GTO) Wage Subsidy Program, boosting the State's building and construction workforce to get homes built sooner.
An additional 150 places for apprentices will be funded through the 2024—25 State Budget, and made available to GTOs immediately. The program enables GTOs to provide opportunities for Western Australians to complete an apprenticeship, through paid hands-on skills training across a diverse range of projects.
The GTO Wage Subsidy provides up to $135,000 for a four-year apprenticeship, to cover the average estimated award wage of full-time apprentices in the building and construction industry. It enables small to medium-sized businesses to access apprentices to meet their specific project needs, helping to ease the skilled labour shortages that are continuing to impact the building and construction sector.
The program helps to grow the supply of skilled workers for the building and construction industry across a variety of trades including carpentry, electrical, and plumbing and gasfitting.
The expansion of the GTO Wage Subsidy Program, a joint initiative of the Department of Training and Workforce Development and the Construction Training Fund, is part of the Cook Government's efforts to increase Western Australia's residential construction workforce and accelerate delivery of new homes throughout the state – lifting the total investment in the program to $87.8 million since 2022.
More information about the GTO Wage Subsidy Program is available on the Jobs and Skills WA website at jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/gws.
Premier Roger Cook said, "We're doing everything we can to build more houses throughout WA. Ensuring we have a pipeline of skilled local workers for our building and construction industry is absolutely crucial to those efforts and means local businesses can get on with building homes. The highly successful GTO Wage Subsidy Program is giving our young people more opportunities to take up apprenticeships in the building and construction industry, so they can earn and learn. My Government is committed to creating local jobs for WA, and today's announcement means more local jobs building the houses our State needs."
Treasurer Rita Saffioti added, "Growing our construction workforce and getting more homes built have long been priorities for our government. The fact we're expanding the Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy program again, with another additional 150 places, shows how much it's assisting businesses get more apprentices and trainees on the job, while also helping to build more houses locally. The program has clearly been embraced by the sector and we'll keep doing all we can to support them in training up and getting new workers on board."
Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk noted, "Developing our building and construction workforce is a key focus for the Cook Government – so we can get more boots on the ground and people into their homes sooner. We've listened to industry – and we're delivering. The GTO Wage Subsidy Program is a key initiative to help grow the next generation of WA's building and construction workforce. The program is providing young Western Australians with a secure, paid training pathway to a well-paid job, while also enabling small to medium-sized businesses to access a pipeline of workers to meet their specific project needs. Expanding the GTO Wage Subsidy Program is another way we are helping to make more apprenticeship places available to Western Australians - so they can complete their qualifications and take up rewarding jobs in the building and construction industry."
