Ai Group was grateful for the opportunity to make a submission to the strategic review of the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System.

Ai Group and its members have long been strong supporters of the apprenticeship and traineeship system. The system provides the means for employers to develop a pipeline of relevant and in-demand skills for their company and for industry more broadly. The apprentices and trainees benefit from gaining valued skills development from their employment and from their completion of formal training qualifications, which can set them up to secure well-paying jobs and establish good careers. And society benefits from the system because it provides stable, long-term pathways for new entrants to the workforce, many of whom are from diverse backgrounds.

For Ai Group's members, finding better ways to place apprenticeship and traineeship pathways in front of eligible candidates, and to present the careers they lead to as equally desirable and more achievable than other options, is more important than tinkering with the incentives regime. However, incentives are important. They demonstrate to employers that their role in skilling the nation's workforce is valued and that the investment they make in it is recognised. Incentives similarly demonstrate to apprentices and trainees that the Government understands that they may be foregoing higher wages but wants to encourage them to complete.