The South Australian Government has launched a new program to fund employers up to 90 per cent of the cost of training in industries with skills shortages in jobs critical to the State’s future economic growth.

 

The Skills in the Workplace program will provide employers in key SA industries with a State Government training subsidy to help them lift the skills of their existing employees at higher qualification levels.

 

Employers in those industries facing skills shortages with up to 99 full time employees will be eligible for a State Government training subsidy of up to 90 per cent.

 

Employers with between 100 and 199 full time employees will be eligible for a subsidy of up to 75 per cent and those with more than 200 full timers, up to a 50 per cent training subsidy.

 

The targeted industries include resources, infrastructure, community services, advanced manufacturing, agrifoods, clean technology and green skills, defence, health, water resources and significant regional employers.  Proposals will be received on a continual basis with no specific tender rounds.

 

Employment, Higher Education and Skills Minister Tom Kenyon said the Training and Skills Commission predicts that growth in our economy combined with replacement demand for jobs will result in 163,000 job openings over the next five years. 69,000 of these jobs will be new and 94,000 job openings will result from people leaving the workforce.

 

“That’s why we need to ensure that these many thousands of existing workers or potential employees get the training they need to take up these jobs or further enhance their existing skills. We want proposals funded through Skills in the Workplace to provide workforce planning strategies that clearly identify training and skills development if they’re to be considered for a subsidy.

 

 “The aim is for training proposals to lead employees to complete nationally endorsed qualifications at Certificate IV to Advanced Diploma level, but also deliver specific skill-set training for those with an existing qualification of at least Certificate III level,” Mr Kenyon said.

 

Initial ‘Expressions of Interest’ which can be further developed for funding this financial year should be submitted by Friday, 23 March 2012. Submissions received after this date will be considered for funding in the 2012/13 financial year.

 

For further information about Skills in the Workplace , including the expression of interest template visit www.skills.sa.gov.au/sitw