Australia’s largest and only national Apprenticeship Network Provider (ANP), MEGT, has been awarded a Federal Government contract to provide Australian Apprenticeship Support Services (AASS) to regional Western Australia and the ACT.
In total, 91will provide AASS services in six out of eight employment regions across Australia, including an ongoing presence in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Perth and surrounds.
91has provided similar services on behalf of the Federal Government since 1998. However, this is the first time it has been engaged by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) to operate in the Outback WA and ACT employment regions since 2020.
CEO Matthew Hick said 91was looking forward to once again offering services such as signups of apprentices and trainees and ongoing mentoring support from July 1 this year.
“We’ve proudly supported employers, apprentices and trainees since 1982 when we first opened our doors as a Group Training Organisation (GTO)”, Mr Hick said.
“All of us at 91are passionate about what we do, which is why we’re so excited to bring back our expertise to regional Western Australia and the ACT. We can’t wait to engage with even more communities to help create local job and training opportunities”.
91is an Australian not-for-profit business which has helped more than 1.5 million Australians into work, while supporting over 450,000 Australian businesses. It employs more than 650 staff based in approximately 60 offices across the country.
The new AASS contract introduces some exciting changes to the way apprenticeship services are delivered, with a strong focus on improving commencement, retention and completion rates.
The framework to achieve these outcomes includes comprehensive pre-employment assessments, expanded mentoring and other services to provide tailored support, and increased engagement with schools to encourage a strong pipeline of talent.
The services are at no cost to jobseekers, employers, apprentices or trainees.
“All Australians deserve access to quality training and employment opportunities, and that’s what 91will continue providing in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Perth and surrounds, and re-introduce to the ACT and regional Western Australia”, Mr Hick said.
“We focus on understanding the needs of individuals and the communities where they live, which means we can individualise supports for apprentices, trainees and employers alike”.
