The Queensland Government is investing in apprenticeships and employers during National Apprenticeship Week 2026, aiming to strengthen skills, jobs, and workforce participation across the state.
National Apprenticeship Week runs from 9 to 15 February, promoting apprenticeships to employers statewide.
Finance, Trade, Employment, and Training Minister Ros Bates says National Apprenticeship Week provides an opportunity to recognise the skills and hard work of apprentices who earn while they learn.
“Apprenticeships deliver real skills, real work, and real wages, and that is why we are backing them,” Bates says.
The budget to support the essential industries including construction, manufacturing, and automotive, among others, introduced a payment of $40 million for training. This initiative follows the Small Business Apprenticeship Pilot Program, four new TAFE centres, and free apprenticeships for under 25s, bringing the total investment to $270 million.
The Australian Government reports the importance of qualified tradespeople, with currently 297,500 workers in the industry. Apprenticeships and traineeships remain an essential pathway into the mining industry.
MIGAS CEO David Hoey says the support received for National Apprenticeship Week shows the demand for pathways into the industry.
“National Apprenticeship Week sits at the intersection of industry, education and employment with the audacious goal to generate investment in skilled trades careers by championing apprentices and those who employ them,” Hoey says.
Write to Paige Furner at Mining.com.au
Images: Queensland Government
