$2 billion JobTrainer program aimed at upskilling Australians

The federal government will inject $2 billion into its new JobTrainer skills package.

JobTrainer will aim to help school leavers and job seekers access short courses to develop new skills for a post-coronavirus world.

$500 million will be committed to a new JobTrainer scheme to run new courses for thousands of workers to acquire the skills that will be in demand when the pandemic passes.

The government will dedicate $1.5 billion to extend a current wage subsidy for apprentices, which was expected to end in September.

More than 500,000 places for trainees and apprentices will be funded under the policy, and the wage subsidy for apprentices will be extended by six months.

In a statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “COVID-19 is unprecedented but I want Australians to be ready for the sorts of jobs that will come as we build back and recover”.