Apprenticeship Boost is a payment made to employers to help them keep and take on new apprentices.

 

The Apprenticeship Boost payment is made directly to employers. It means apprentices can keep earning while training towards their qualifications.

Apprenticeship Boost is now available until the end of December 2024. If you’ve already applied, you don’t need to re-apply. Payments will continue for a maximum of 24 months per apprentice, or until the initiative ends in December 2024.

Who can get it

  • You can get Apprenticeship Boost if your apprentice is enrolled and engaged in a New Zealand Apprenticeship or a Managed Apprenticeship. This includes all Careerforce apprenticeship programmes.

Your apprentice must also:

  • be less than 24 months into their apprenticeship (any time they’ve spent in a similar programme in the past will count towards the 24 months)
  • be employed by you, or contracted by you if they’re self-employed
  • have an active enrolment that has not been withdrawn or put on hold.

You can’t get Apprenticeship Boost for your apprentice if you’re:

  • a State Sector employer
  • already getting another wage subsidy from us for this apprentice, for example: Flexi-wage, Mana in Mahi or Māori Trades and Training Fund
  • already getting a payment from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for this apprentice.

How much you get

You can get $500 a month, per apprentice, not including GST. If you’re GST registered, you’ll be paid the amount plus GST.

The amount paid per month changed from 5 August 2022 (before this date, first year apprentices were getting $1,000 a month). Payment periods that start on or after 5 August 2022 will be paid at the new rate of $500 for all apprentices, regardless of whether they are in their first or second year of training. This includes first year apprentices who are already registered and have been receiving $1,000 payments before that date. 

How long you can get the payment

You can get Apprenticeship Boost for a maximum of 24 months per apprentice or until the initiative ends in December 2024.

How to apply

If you have eligible apprentices within your business, you need to apply for the Apprenticeship Boost fund through the Ministry of Social Development. For more details on the Apprenticeship Boost fund, including how to apply, go here.

For more information on the Apprenticeship Boost initiative, please go to the TEC website or to the MSD website.

IMPORTANT

Careerforce apprentices are required to complete at least one module within any five month period of their apprenticeship, or the apprenticeship will be placed on-hold. Any Apprenticeship Boost payments will also go on-hold, as the apprenticeship is not deemed to be active. As soon as the apprentice completes a module, they are automatically taken off-hold, and any eligible Apprenticeship Boost payments will resume. If there are no modules completed within any six month period, apprentices may be withdrawn from their apprenticeship.

Please refer to the following information relating to the Code of Good Practice for NZ Apprenticeships and expectations around literacy and numeracy:

TEC Code of Good Practice for NZ Apprenticeships

Literacy and Numeracy Requirements

Last updated 19 May 2023