The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) provides job seekers with accredited small business training, business mentoring and income support to help them turn a business idea into a viable business, as well as help them become a self-employed business owner.
The NEIS is delivered by a national network of NEIS providers under Job Services Australia. NEIS providers include, but are not limited to: Business Enterprise Centres, TAFE Small Business Centres, community organisations and private sector businesses. NEIS providers provide personalised assistance to the job seekers to help them achieve their business goals. This is done through regular contact during the job seekers’ first year of business.
Job seekers who participate in the NEIS receive an allowance for up to 39 weeks while they operating their business. The amount of allowance they receive is not affected by the amount of income they receive from their business, some job seekers may even be eligible for NEIS Rental Assistance.
The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) programme provides language, literacy and numeracy training to eligible job seekers, with the expectation that such improvements will enable them to participate more effectively in training or in the labour force.
The SEE programme provides up to 800 hours of free accredited training in which participants can start at their own levels and work at their own pace, work experience may be involved in some cases. The SEE programme training can be delivered either on a part-time or full-time basis and face-to-face or by distance.
The SEE programme can be helpful to those from a non-English speaking background and need English language training at basic or advanced levels, those who need literacy and numeracy training at basic or advanced levels and those who need advanced training for work purposes.
The Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Programme aims to contribute to the development of a highly skilled and relevant Australian workforce that supports economic sustainability and competitiveness by providing incentives to employers who employ apprentices and apprentices themselves.
The incentives for employers who employ apprentices include: commencement incentives, recommencement incentives, completion incentives, rural & regional skills shortage incentives, declared drought area incentives, mature aged workers incentives, Australian School-based Apprenticeship Incentive, Assistance for Australian Apprentices with Disability and Support for Adult Australian Apprentices.
The personal incentives and benefits for apprentices include a Living Away from Home Allowance.
The Australian Apprenticeship Support Network aims to increase apprenticeship completion rates (current completion rates are approximately 50 percent). It will do this by giving apprentices the best opportunities to get a job, as well as providing employers with the qualified and productive apprentices they need for their businesses.
Through the Network, apprentices will be provided assistance to find an employer to begin their apprenticeship. They will also receive mentoring and career advice throughout the duration of their apprenticeship, so that they can successfully complete it. Businesses will also be provided advice on hiring apprentices, specifically focusing on their roles and responsibilities to administering the apprenticeship.
The Network is a result of the federal government receiving feedback from employers, apprentices and industry groups on how to improve the current support system. The current support system is known for being largely administrative and containing too much red tape and not enough support for apprentices.
This news comes almost two months after the commencement of Trade Support Loans. The Loans offer up to $20,000 to apprentices over the course of their apprenticeships and provide a HELP-esque loan repayment option.
Access to the Network for both apprentices and businesses comes at no cost. The Network commenced on July 1, 2015.