Australian Disability Apprenticeships: Information & Fact Sheets

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 19 Oct 2015 - Updated: 27 Mar 2016

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

Information and facts regarding apprenticeship programs for persons with a disability in Australia.

Overview

Apprenticeships are available to anyone of working age and do not require any entry qualifications, they can be a school-leaver, re-entering the workforce or simply wishing to change careers. They are the best way to combine training and employment, and can lead to a nationally recognized qualification.

Australian Apprenticeships encompass all apprenticeships and traineeships and combine time at work with training. They can be full-time, part-time or school-based. The Australian Government, in acknowledging the contribution people with disability make to their communities and workplaces, provides additional support to Australian Apprentices with disability to help them reach their full potential as skilled workers.

An Australian Apprenticeship can take from one to four years to complete, depending on the type of Australian Apprenticeship, the industry and the qualification you do.

A range of assistance is available to support Australian Apprentices with disability, including Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support which is paid to employers, and assistance for tutorial, interpreter and mentor services for apprentices. Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support (DAAWS) is an Australian Government incentive payable to an employer who employs an Australian Apprentice who satisfies the disability eligibility criteria in an Australian Apprenticeship. This wage support is also available to an employer who employs an Australian Apprentice who becomes disabled during their apprenticeship or traineeship.

For more information and advice on all aspects of Australian Apprenticeships, contact your local Apprenticeship Network provider or call the Australian Apprenticeships referral line on 13 38 73.

Apprenticeship Network providers are contracted by the Australian Government to provide free Australian Apprenticeships support services to apprentices and employers.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.