Current Incentives (from July 1, 2025)
The Priority Hiring Incentive provides financial support for employers of Australian Apprentices employed in priority occupations. High-priority occupations can be found on the Australian Apprenticeship Priority List.
Eligibility Criteria Includes:
- Employers who commence a new or an Existing Worker Australian Apprentice in qualification and occupation listed on Australian Apprenticeships Priority List; including those identified as leading to a clean energy apprenticeship pathway and
- Apprenticeship with an occupational outcome listed on Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, including those identified as leading to a clean energy apprenticeship pathway.
- Apprentice must be in-training with their employer on the Claim period due date.
Payments are made at six and 12 months from the commencement or recommencement of an Apprentice.
Available financial support options can be found in our Guide to Incentives
Key Apprenticeship Program
The Key Apprenticeship Program (KAP) has been implemented with the goal of encouraging the growth of the workforce and expanding the pipeline of workers training towards critical occupations supporting priority sectors.
The KAP contains two streams:
- New Energy Apprenticeship (NEA) stream; and
- Housing Construction Apprenticeship (HCA) stream.
New Energy Apprenticeship stream
The NEA stream is designed to encourage apprentices to choose clean energy careers, improve retention rates and deliver more successful completions by providing direct financial support to Australian Apprentices commencing an Australia Apprenticeship Journey in an occupation in the clean energy sector.
The Clean Energy Sector includes activities involved in:
- designing, developing, constructing, and operating the infrastructure for generating, storing, transmitting, and distributing energy from renewable, zero or low emissions energy sources.
- reducing or managing energy use.
- installing and maintaining the technology that uses clean energy rather than fossil fuels.
Housing Construction Apprenticeship stream
The HCA stream is designed to encourage the growth of this critical workforce and expand the pipeline of workers training towards occupations supporting the housing construction sector.
The Housing Construction sector involves building, repairing and remodelling structures that are intended to operate as a fixed dwelling. Fixed dwellings may include, but are not limited to:
- Houses
- Apartments; and
- Nursing homes.
Payments
Eligible Australian Apprentice can claim up to $10,000 for a full-time apprenticeship and up to $5,000 for a part-time apprenticeship over the life of the Australian Apprenticeship Journey, according to the following schedule and rates:
- $2,000 at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months and on completion (full-time)
- $1,000 at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months and on completion (part-time)
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Key Apprenticeship Program, apprentices must:
- meet all primary eligibility requirements.
- commenced or recommenced on or after 1 July 2025.
- be undertaking a qualification at the Certificate III, Diploma or Advanced Diploma level listed on the Priority List and identified as new energy or housing construction qualification.
- be employed by an organisation who can provide meaningful exposure, experience, and work in the relevant KAP sector (clean energy or housing construction).
More Information
For more information on incentives available to employers and apprentices in the new Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System (AAIS), refer to the AAIS factsheet, and information on Australian Apprenticeships on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.
ADMS claims process
You will no longer be required to submit your claims through to BUSY At Work but will be required to lodge your claims through an online portal with the Australian Government’s ‘Apprenticeship Data Management System’ (ADMS), which will require you to set up and link to your MyGovID account. More information can be found at AustralianApprenticeships.gov.au/About-ADMS
This new process for applying for wage subsidies has been modernised and streamlined for Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements Claim Periods 6 and onwards (i.e. for wages paid 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2022) and the new wage subsidies and hiring incentives under the new Australian Apprenticeships Incentives System from July 1, 2022.
From the 9th of April, employers will be responsible for completing these wage subsidy claims using ADMS.
BUSY At Work will continue to provide advice and support services to employers from pre-commencement to completion of Australian Apprenticeships and will continue to process historic BAC and CAC wage subsidy claims for wages paid between 5 October 2020 and 31 December 2021.
How to get Started
If you haven’t already, your business will need to create a myID Digital Identity and connect it with your business using the Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM).
How to get started with ADMS
To securely access ADMS, users will need to:
- Create a Digital Identity with myID,
- Connect your myGovID with a business through the Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM), and
- Register for an ADMS account on the employment System Access Management (eSAM) portal.
Once your ADMS account has been set up by following the above steps, you will be able to access ADMS at any time.
MyID is your digital identity and makes it easier to prove who you are online – it’s like the 100-point ID check but on your smart device.
To access ADMS, your myID Digital Identity will need to be standard identity strength or above.
To learn how to set up your myID, please visit myID.gov.au.
RAM allows business owners to link their digital identity to their business and to authorise others to act on their behalf when using participating online government services.
Claims Under Past Incentives (prior to July 1, 2024)
Employers claiming incentives for an apprentice or trainee who commenced prior to these new incentive periods, you will continue to be supported under the prior incentives.
