Free Apprenticeships and Traineeships.

Apprenticeship Boost helps employers support new and existing apprentices in their first two years of training in a level 4 apprenticeship qualification with a wage subsidy. You could receive up to $16,000 per apprentice, across 20 months of their working and training.

Here’s what your employers need to know:

• Apprenticeship Boost is managed and administered by Work and Income New Zealand, part of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Competenz is not able to assist with employers’ application status or payment information.
• Employers need to create an account with MSD to use its online portal.
• To qualify, an apprentice must be actively training and have completed less than 24 months of an eligible apprenticeship.
• A consent form (available on the WINZ website) must be completed by each apprentice as part of the application process.
• Employers need to reconfirm with MSD (through the online portal) every month the apprentice is still employed and training to continue receiving payments.

The apprenticeship programme start date is the date of an apprentice’s first apprenticeship training agreement with the transitional industry training organisation (ITO) or provider the apprentice is enrolled with when an application is made. Any previous apprenticeship enrolment(s) with their current transitional ITO, e.g. Competenz, will be counted in the 20 months but any prior training with another ITO will not be counted. Employers can contact us if they need their apprentice’s training state date: they must provide us with their apprentice’s full legal name, date of birth, and the name of their business.

Delays in payments of two to four weeks could be expected for all new Apprenticeship Boost applications, particularly in the initial application period.

Who do employers contact for more info?
The WINZ website has all the up-to-date details on the Apprenticeship Boost and other apprenticeship wage subsidies.

For any questions about free apprenticeships and traineeships, employers can call us on 0800 526 1800, email freetraining@competenz.org.nz or see what Government assistance they may be eligible for with our Find my Funding tool on the Competenz website.  If an employer hosts ATNZ apprentices, please advise them to contact their ATNZ Account Manager for clarity, as the process may differ.

For more information on applying via WINZ view here