Adults will soon be able to complete an apprenticeship in 18 months under a plan to provide an extra 1000 workers for the mining sector.
The Gillard Government is expected to announce today the $2 million in co-funding for the adult apprenticeship project that came out of an inquiry from Federal Labor MP Gary Gray into the jobs demand in the resources sector over the next 20 years.
Traditional apprenticeships take four years and the low pay is unattractive to older workers. Under the scheme, recruits can stay employed or join the workforce of a participating mining company.