Construction and Trades Sector Grants
The Australian Government provides a wide variety of grants and development assistance to small and medium level business operators and start-ups every year. Each grant, depending on whether it’s federal or state-supported, has its own eligibility requirements. In this section, we will discuss some of the grants available for construction trade industry operators and their eligibility requirements.
Federal Government Supported Grants:
Federal Government provides trade industry employers with up to $1,500 as incentives if they are willing to employ physically challenged applicants. This grant is intended towards helping people with physical disabilities to gain skills and experience required to prosper in the future. To be able to benefit from this grant, an employer must employ an applicant who is registered with the Disability Employment Service Provider for at least 13 weeks.
Another grant provided by the Federal Government provides funds employers between $750 and $4,000 to employ an apprentice. To avail of this incentive, an employer must employ an apprentice having a Certificate level II, III, IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma. It should be noted that these grants are awarded based on a skills shortage list of trade that is in demand at the time of application.
State-Funded Grants:
- Grow their business from small to medium
- Provide increased employment
- Be innovative
- Increase their efficiency and productivity
- Explore new marketing avenues
Recruiting Employees
Small business owners, in certain states, are eligible for a grant of $2,000 with every full-time recruit. To be eligible for this scheme, businesses must have an ABN and the new employee must remain employed with the business for at least one year before they can apply. This grant is also available on a pro-rata basis for trade industry operators who employ workers on a part-time basis.
Few states grant as much as $20,000 to regional businesses when they employ youth aged 15 to 24 years. They can also seek up to $10,000 for employing people who are unemployed for 4 to 52 weeks and $15,000 for employing someone unemployed for more than 52 weeks. To be eligible for this grant, an employer should have a good workplace and safety record as well as commitment towards full-time ongoing employment of the new employees.
Above mentioned grants are only some of the many incentives that the Australian Government has in place to improve the quality of the life of Australians while simultaneously encouraging the growth of SMEs. If you are a trade industry operator and would like to know more about the various grants available in your sector and their eligibility criteria, call us today and speak to one of our advisors.
