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Australia needs skilled workers not only to fill jobs and satisfy employment demands but also to boost the national economy. This skills shortage is the reason why the Australian government is doing everything in its power to build a skilled workforce and focus on creating skilled employment opportunities.

One of the ways that Australia has been handling its skills shortage is through apprenticeship and traineeship training. Apprenticeship and traineeship training are opportunities for individuals to learn the necessary skills and knowledge for a particular trade or career. These types of training can last from six months to three years, depending on the trade and the type of training.

Apprenticeship and traineeship training such as these welcome young adults, mature age individuals, school leavers and university students alike. Even those who want to change their careers can easily find themselves in an apprenticeship or traineeship. This is because, as much as possible, the government wants everyone to be able to train and receive skilled employment.

To further help those who want to become an apprentice or trainee, the Australian government provides different incentives. One of the best incentives that apprentices and trainees enjoy is that they are paid while they learn. From the very first day of their training, even without the proper qualifications and no experience at all, they are awarded with wages. This helps alleviate the skills shortage since it makes it easier for people to go into a trade without having to worry about money.

Even employers who will employ and train apprentices are awarded certain incentives by the Australian government. Getting employers to hire apprentices and trainees is important since the training that the apprentices will receive will help combat the skills shortage that the country faces.

Employers don’t need to worry when they hire apprentices either because as their training progresses, these trainees and apprentices only become better and more skilled. In fact, experience shows that halfway through the apprentice’s training, the return of investment that the company enjoys is more than the cost of hiring and training the apprentice.

In a way, as the government and the employers invest in the apprentices, they are rewarded with qualified tradesmen who will soon be capable of skilled employment. It is a cycle that helps the employers, the apprentices and the economy as well.

The task of eliminating the skills shortage in the country is an arduous one indeed. But with the different incentives and support programs that the government has put in place to help both the apprentices and the employers to gain skills and skilled employment, the task isn’t impossible.