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 State 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.
