Leverage government funding to get the team trained

Pathways Leverage government funding to get the team trained

Overview

A number of collection and field agency firms have been reviewing their teams’ qualifications to ensure they’re appropriately equipped for the expected uptick in activity especially following the interruptions of the pandemic and after the anticipated federal election.

An opportunity identified by the industry is to leverage the various state government training packages that are available to upskill teams.

For example, the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy supports businesses and Group Training Organisations to take on new apprentices and trainees, to build a pipeline of skilled workers to support sustained economic recovery.

Through the subsidy, any business that engages an Australian Apprentice between 5 October 2020 and 31 March 2022 may be eligible for a subsidy of 50 per cent of wages paid to a new or recommencing apprentice or trainee for a 12-month period from the date of commencement, to a maximum of $7,000 per quarter.

Voice from the industry

Alan Harries of the Institute of Mercantile Agents reports such funding on offer by government provides the ideal opportunity for the collections and field agency industry to invest in their team members through training to improve the understanding of their roles and the experiences of debtors, explaining:

“Our industry is highly skilled and effective in assisting clients to engage respectfully and constructively with their customers in financial difficulties. Firms can leverage this opportunity to ensure team members remain up to date with compliance and regulatory requirements as well as the expectations of those with whom and for whom they act. Cert III training as the minimum standard of training equips our industry to undertake its work professionally with confidence and discretion. Just as importantly, clients and other stakeholders are assured such training is part of how the high standards of the industry are both achieved and maintained.” Alan Harries

Voice from user of training subsidy

Daniel Taylor of CCSG Group gives his insights into this current trend.

“More clients are looking to ensure they contract with organisations that have a minimum standard of education which gives them comfort on the customer’s experience.

It’s been our experience that an increasing percentage of tenders require that we demonstrate a minimum skill set in the end-to-end handling of the proposed debt placement.

Our team has taken to this fantastic opportunity to upskill with excitement and enthusiasm, and we thank the education team at AICM for their support in guiding the team through their modules. Daniel Taylor

How can you get started

Your business may potentially be eligible for the following standard incentives:

Commencement incentive

z $1,500 – Claimable after 6 months of employment (recommencement incentive $750)

Rural and Regional

z $1,000 – Claimable after 6 months of employment (must be based in a rural and regional area).

SAAA incentive

z $4,000 – Claimable after 12 months (apprentice must be paid equal or above national minimum wage) apprentice must be over 25 if they commenced prior 01/07/2019, but 21 years of age after that date.

Completion incentive

z $2,500 – Claimable when apprenticeship or traineeship has been completed successfully.

*a further assessment will be conducted at sign up for the incentive eligibility*

If deemed eligible for the above scheme, the government will pay 50% of the apprentices gross wage, the maximum an employer can claim for each quarter is $7k.

New BAC rules only apply for any commencement date from 28/10/2020 onwards: z There is no cap/limit for an employer to convert Existing Workers doing a trade-based Australian

Apprenticeship. z There will be a cap of 30 for every employer (defined by ABN) placed on Existing Worker Traineeships with a commencement date on or after 28/10/2020. In addition, for an employer to attract the Boosting

Apprenticeship payment the existing worker must: — Be transferring from casual employment arrangement to a part-time or full-time Australian Apprenticeship; or — Transferring from part-time employment arrangement to a full-time Australian Apprenticeship.

To learn more please use this link to a fact sheet for the recent changes in the BAC Scheme

For further information on how to apply for the subsidy, including information on eligibility, contact an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider.

Additional information regarding the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy and Completing Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy – including maximum payment amounts – is provided in the Questions and Answers factsheet.