Thinking of hiring that new apprentice or trainee? How does a $15,000 government rebate sound?

Job Accelerator Grant Scheme extension

The Job Accelerator Grant has been extended to June 2018.

A grant increase of an additional $5,000 for each new apprentice and trainee hired was announced in yesterday’s State Budget. This is in addition to the previous $10,000 grant, increasing the total benefit to $15,000!

It was first announced in the 2016-17 budget that South Australian businesses who increase their number of employees will qualify for a $10,000 grant for each additional full-time, part-time and casual employee employed and maintained for at least 12-months. Yesterday’s South Australian budget announced that this grant is to be extended for another year and an additional $5,000 is offered to employers who hire an apprentice or trainee.

Who’s eligible?

To qualify for this grant, businesses must meet the following criteria:

  • employ a new position between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2018
  • maintain the new position for at least 12 month
  • Businesses with payrolls between $600,000 and $5 million will receive up to $15,000 for each apprentice above current staffing levels.
  • Small businesses with payrolls up to $600,000 will receive up to $9000.
  • register the new employee within 90 days of the commencement.

How to apply?

Go to: https://www.revenuesaonline.sa.gov.au to register

Once you have registers go to Manage Grant on the left menu and start to Create a New Grant Application for each new employee.

Some important requirements to note are:

  1. The grant is only eligible for new additional staff, not replacement staff
  2. You will be required to upload the most recent BAS, payroll summary report and Group Training Organisation Agreement for each employee (if the employee is a trainee or apprentice)

By extending the job accelerator grant, the South Australian Government makes the decision for business owners to grow their staff in response to business growth, a lot easier.

Without the grant, the decision is very much a reactive approach i.e. when your staff are at full capacity and close to burn out; whereas with support programs such as this, employers can take a more proactive approach to hiring and be in the best position to grow their business.