YOUR BUSINESS
• MAA81 Work Safely at Heights: Albany, Esperance, Jerramungup, Katanning, Manjimup, Narrogin. Link for above Short Courses: www.southregionaltafe.wa.edu.au/ short-courses Additional training is also available at Muresk Institute (www2.dtwd.wa.gov. au/mureskinstitute/about-us) and 2 Work in Oz (http://2workinoz.com.au/). For more information visit the Jobs and Skills WA website at www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au
Federal The Federal Government is supporting employers through a boost to the apprenticeships age subsidy (www.employment.gov.au/boostingapprenticeship-commencements) to encourage employers to take on new apprentices and trainees. The Federal Government also has an incentive for older Australians to reskill, however this has been running for several years and is not a response to the Pandemic, but is available: (https://skillscheck.com.au/). JobTrainer is a partnership between the Federal Government and state and territory governments to establish a new $1 billion Fund. The Federal Government is providing $500 million in 2020–21 and this is being matched by contributions from state and territory governments.
Job seekers and young people, including school leavers, can now take advantage of subsidised training to learn skills for jobs in demand. JobTrainer funding is available for accredited diplomas, certificates or short courses, based on a list agreed between the National Skills Commission and the state and territory governments. State and territory governments are responsible for determining which qualifications and short courses to prioritise from the agreed list, with focus on training in areas of anticipated employment growth.
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WA Grower SUMMER 2020
Managing your overheads when payments are late BY SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
D
uring and following the COVID-19 emergency period, some growers have noticed that their business customers are slower to pay and in some cases, seem to be deliberately prolonging payments to help control their own cash flow. However, even when invoices go unpaid, you still have costs to meet in your business.
What are business overheads? Business overheads are expenses incurred to support your business that are not directly related to a specific product or service. Some examples are wages for staff, rent on premises, insurances and utility costs.
These business overheads are referred to as fixed costs as the cost remains relatively constant, regardless of the fluctuations in sales volumes.
Managing the impact of slow payments on your ability to meet your business overheads is essential to protect the health of your finances and make your business viable over the long-term. 3 REVIEW every invoice before payment and ask whether you really need to keep incurring the expense.
If an expense is justified, shop around for alternative suppliers.
