APPRENTICESHIP BOOST
Apprenticeship Boost was announced within the Budget 2020 $1.6 billion investment in trades training and aims to provide support for employers to retain and take on new apprentices as the economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19.
Apprenticeship Boost is a payment to employers of apprentices in their first or second year of training, available from August 2020 to December 2023. Employers can receive up to 20 months of support with payments of $500 per month in apprentices’ first year and second year.
This scheme is administered by the Ministry of Social Development with the Work and Income website providing the application details.
Questions and Answers
Please note that the following information has been provided by the Tertiary Education Commission. All questions are to be directed to the Ministry of Social Development: apprenticeship_boost@msd.govt.nz.
When is an apprentice considered a first or second year apprentice?
To be eligible for Apprenticeship Boost, an apprentice must be actively training and have completed 24 months or less in an eligible apprenticeship through a transitional ITO (e.g. MITO) or a provider.
The start date will be the date of an apprentice’s first apprenticeship training agreement with the transitional ITO or provider the apprentice is enrolled with at the time their current employer applies for Apprenticeship Boost payments. This also applies to any changes to the enrolment during the 20 month eligibility period.
An apprentice’s previous apprenticeship enrolment(s) with the current transitional ITO will be counted, even if it was a different apprenticeship programme.
How is the payment start date calculated?
MSD will calculate this. The payments will be backdated to the start date, provided the eligibility criteria are met and the supporting evidence is provided within the required timeframes.
How long will it take to make payments to employers?
The Ministry of Social Development is expecting a significant number of applications when Apprenticeship Boost opens. This will impact the time taken to verify applications. A delay in payments of two to four weeks could be expected.
How do I apply?
You can apply via the Work and Income website.