Federal Budget doubles bonus for tradie apprentices in housing construction

Apprentices are being offered 10,000 reasons to join the construction industry as the government looks to boost the workforce for its big push on housing.

Eligible apprentices will be handed an incentive payment of $10,000 if they train in the housing construction sector.

That's double the previous maximum incentive payment.

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The increase will take place from July 1 this year.

"To build more, we need to train more builders," Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.

"That's why we're attracting more apprentices into the housing industry."

It's part of a $722.8 million funding package to support apprentices that will roll out in the coming four years.

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The government has already introduced legislation to provide a permanent 100,000 free TAFE places a year from 2027.

The budget forecast that nine out of 10 new jobs in the next decade will require tertiary-level qualifications, with almost half from the vocational training sector.

Of the nearly 600,000 free TAFE enrolments between January 2023 and September 2024, almost 40,000 were for construction courses.

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