Government Funding

ICMT works closely with our clients and individuals in:

• Determining what funding options are available
• Preparing funding applications
• Managing reporting requirements

A number of government funding initiatives for workplace training are available. These funding initiatives have been developed to assist organisations with up skilling their staff as a consequence of the extensive skills shortages being experienced. This is an opportunity for employers to access funding in order to train and develop their staff at a low or zero cost to the organisation.

ICMT offers a range of Government Traineeships in NSW. Recently, the Australian Government has just released two major funding programs - the $43 Million Experience + Program and the $73 Million National Workforce Development Fund. Applications for funding from employers need to be completed in partnership with a registered training organisation. In addition, in the case of the National Workforce Development Fund, applications for funding also require involvement with the Community Services & Health Skills Council.

For those employers with operations in Queensland, the Workforce Council’s Skill Cluster Funding is being offered to enable health and community services organisations up-skill their existing workers. This initiative aims to support integrated service delivery and is funded by Skills Queensland. We have extensive experience in applying for such funding and are ideally positioned to assist you with this.

Traineeships

ICMT offers a range of Government funded traineeships in NSW. For more information on Government-funded traineeships, visit our Traineeships Qualifications page. For those organisations wishing to recruit employees into Traineeships, ICMT is able to use the Access Program to help fund prevocational training as part of the recruitment process.

Experience+ Training Funding 2010-14

From 1 July 2010, the Government is investing $7.68 million (over four years, excludes GST) into Experience+ Training. Experience+ Training helps employers provide quality training for their mature age workers aged 50+, increasing the capacity of mature age workers to provide effective mentoring, supervisory and other practical support to apprentices and trainees in the workplace.

What is Experience+ Training?

Experience+ Training allows eligible employers to apply for $4,950 (includes GST) to pay for, or contribute to, the cost of approved training for a mature age worker. Funding for Experience+ Training is provided to the employer in two instalments:

• a ‘start up’ payment of $3,500 (includes $318.18 GST),
• a ‘completion’ payment of $1,450 (includes $131.80 GST).

Funding must be used to pay for, or contribute to, the cost of a Certificate III (or above) level course for a mature age worker. The course must be delivered in Australia by a Registered Training Organisation such as ICM Training.

Any remaining funds can be used to pay for, or contribute to, the cost of:

• administrative expenses involved in identifying and enrolling the worker in a suitable training course
• supporting the business to allow the worker to complete the course while still in employment
• evidence gathering/skills assessments to allow the worker to gain Recognition of Prior Learning
• applying for relevant tickets (such as forklift tickets) or licences
• additional training activity that is not at the Certificate III level or above, but would be of benefit to the worker (e.g. literacy or numeracy training, Certificate I or II level training, statements of attainment etc).

Employers are encouraged to work with their employee to seek Recognition of Prior Learning, which could significantly reduce the amount of time required to achieve a qualification.

Experience+ Training is available when the worker, employer or RTO are not already receiving some form of financial assistance from another Australian Government source, or through state, territory or local government bodies, to pay for the nominated training course. The guidelines also clarify that Experience+ Training is designed to assist mature age mature age workers who are not themselves an apprentice or trainee.

For more information and details, email Experience+ experience@deewr.gov.au

A printable version of the Experience+ Training Guidelines 2010-14 is also available:

(PDF 578KB | RTF 139KB)

Experience+ Training Grants – Frequently Asked Questions download

PDF 551KB | RTF 88KB)

Fact sheet—Recognition of Prior Learning download

PDF 167KB | RTF 87KB)

Who can apply?

Experience+ Training is available to:

• employers operating in Australia who employ a mature age worker under an Award or Certified Agreement for at least 15 hours per week AND who employ at least one apprentice or trainee who works at the same location/site as the mature age worker, or
• small business owners operating in Australia who are themselves mature age workers (working in their own business for at least 15 hours per week) AND who employ at least one apprentice or trainee who works at the same location/site as the small business owner.

For the purposes of Experience+ Training:

• a mature age worker is a person aged 50 years or over at the time of application, who is not an apprentice or trainee, and
• an employee is classed as an apprentice or trainee if they are:

- employed under a Training Contract that has been registered with, and validated by, the State Training Authority, and

- involved in paid work and structured training which commonly comprises both on and off the job training, and

- undertaking a negotiated training program responsive to client choice that involves obtaining a nationally recognised qualification.

• a small business is a business that employs fewer than 20 employees at a time.

Australian Government departments and agencies are not eligible to apply for Experience+ Training. Other government-related entities that meet the eligibility criteria, including state and territory governments, the organisations they establish and local governing bodies, are eligible to apply for Experience+ Training.

Applications for Experience+ Training will open on 1 July of each financial year and close on 30 June of that financial year (or when available funds for that financial year have been exhausted).

Skill Cluster Funding (Queensland Only)

The Workforce Council’s Skill Cluster Funding is being offered to enable health and community services organisations throughout Queensland to upskill their existing workers. This initiative aims to support integrated service delivery and is funded by Skills Queensland. The Workforce Council is offering places across the following skill clusters:

• Case Management
• Medication Assistance
• Alcohol and Other Drugs
• Basic Foot Care - Health focus
• Chronic Disease Self-Management
• Dementia Support - Service delivery
• Dementia Support - Planning and coordination
• Mental Health - Respond to risk of suicide
• Mental Health - Recognise and respond to individuals at risk

Application Process

This funding is ‘employer-driven’, requiring the employer/ organisation to complete and return the Application for Skill Cluster Funding form which can downloaded from: http://www.workforce.org.au/initiatives/vet/scf

ICM Training can assist clients with:

• Completing the application form
• Providing advice
• Determining possible future funding opportunities.

Please refer to the Skill Cluster Information Sheet to assist with identifying relevant training for your organisation.

Cost to the Employer

Funding on offer will be up to 70% of the cost of a particular skill cluster. As the beneficiary of this professional development, the employer is expected to contribute financially. This employer contribution may vary depending on the cost negotiated with the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) which may be due to:

• The size of the organisation
• The number of employees being trained
• The method of delivery agreed on with the RTO
• The existing knowledge and skill level of the employee
• The level of learning support needed by the employee
• The geographical location for the training and assessment

National Workforce Development Fund

The Australian Government has announced a new National Workforce Development Fund (the Fund) that will provide $558 million in funding over four years to support training in the areas of current and future skills need. The construction and aged care sectors have been identified as priorities for 2011-12. Industry Skills Councils are acting as brokers to manage the Fund on behalf of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

Note from ICM Training: Our experience with this funding program has been that there was too little notice to our busy stakeholders to allow many of them sufficient time to prepare an application. In addition, the level of requirement for employer contribution was, in many instances, too great for our already stretched community services and health sectors. We will be providing this feedback to DEEWR and to the Community Services and Health Skills Council. It is our hope that when the launch of this program is reviewed, changes will be made to the funding model for next year. We will keep you informed!

Funding Available through the National Workforce Development Fund

The funding available to support training and workforce development over the next four years is as follows:

Applications should be submitted to the Community Services & Health Industry Skills Council (CS&HISC) no later than 16 September 2011, in order to meet the formal closing date to DEEWR of 30 September 2011.

Eligibility

Organisations eligible to apply for funding include:

1. Enterprises
2. National professional associations and industry bodies - Associations and industry bodies may submit an application on behalf of smaller organisations seeking to participate.
3. Employment Service Providers - Employment Service Providers may submit an application on behalf of one or more new workers that meet the eligibility criteria.
4. Government bodies - Government bodies are eligible to apply if the participating workers are employed in service delivery positions.

Registered training organisations are chosen by the participating organisation to deliver the training proposed in the application; we would like you to consider ICM Training for this purpose.

Training undertaken through the Fund must be for a nationally endorsed qualification or a Training Package skill set recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework. These qualifications include Certificate II, III, IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Graduate Diploma.

Qualifications eligible for funding include those that are mapped to occupations on the Priority Occupations List (POL). Although the POL has not yet been released, the aged care sector has been identified as a priority sector in 2011-12 and all qualifications that meet workforce development needs in that sector will be considered for funding. There is also funding available for other sectors, and if the workforce development needs can be identified by the applying organisation, the relevant health or community services training package qualification will also be considered for funding.

Some participants may need additional support to achieve the outcome of achieving a formal qualification, for example, mentoring, literacy and numeracy support. Where support services are not provided through other government programs, organisations may seek funding for the support services through their application.