Australian Apprenticeships Priority List extended to 39 professions to address ... trends now

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More apprentices and trainees will get a $5,000 pay packet boost for studying certain occupations as the government battles to fill dire skills shortages.

A further 39 jobs were added to the federal government's Australian Apprenticeships Priority List after the program was launched last July. 

The changes bring the list to 111 occupations receiving the $5,000 direct cash benefit as the country reels from a lack of skilled labour in a range of sectors. 

The new cash boost covers a range of occupations including dental technicians, tour guides, travel consultants, beauty therapists, vet nurses and blacksmiths. 

Those wishing to take up apprenticeships in electroplating, metallurgical and mechanical engineering trades can also benefit. 

Payments of up to $5,000 will be directly handed out to those who take up one of the occupations on the list across two years.

All 39 of the mixed bag of professions were drawn from data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Jobs and Skills Australia. 

Businesses who take these workers on in their first and second years will get a 10 per cent wage subsidy, which will reduce down to five per cent in the third year. 

Federal Skills Minister Brendan O'Connor said the incentive is an investment in areas that help fill the supply gap.

'It's a way of identifying the priority areas so that when we invest in education and training, we're

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