Changes to Apprenticeship Boost in 2025

Apprenticeship Boost is a payment made to employers to help them keep and take on new apprentices. If you're already getting Apprenticeship Boost, check below to see if you'll still be eligible from 1 January 2025.

Which sectors can get it

To be eligible for Apprenticeship Boost from 1 January 2025, your apprentice must be training for a qualification in either:

• building
• agriculture
• horticulture and viticulture
• forestry studies
• manufacturing, engineering and technology
• process and resources engineering
• automotive engineering and technology
• electrical and electronic engineering and technology
• aerospace engineering and technology
• maritime engineering and technology
• other engineering and technology
• human welfare studies and services
• food and hospitality.

To check if your apprentice's qualification is covered:

1. Go to the NZQA website and search for the qualification your apprentice is doing, by selecting certificate, Level 4, and the subject area for their qualification.
2. Click into the qualification and find the subject areas.
3. Check if the subject areas include one of the categories from the list above. If it does, the qualification will be eligible for Apprenticeship Boost from 1 January 2025.

Length of apprenticeship

From 1 January 2025, Apprenticeship Boost will only be available for eligible apprentices in their first 12 months of training.

Already getting Apprenticeship Boost

If you're already getting Apprenticeship Boost payments for your apprentice, you'll keep getting these until 31 December 2024. That includes payments for apprentices in their second year, and apprentices training in a sector that isn't in the list above.

Payments from 1 January 2025

You can keep getting payments for your apprentice from 1 January 2025 if:

• your apprentice is training in one of the sectors above, and
• they are within their first 12 months of training (including any similar previous training).

If you're already getting payments, from 1 January we'll check with the Tertiary Education Commission to see if you can keep getting these. You'll get a message in the portal to let you know the outcome.

If you are still eligible, your payments will continue as normal. You don't need to reapply, but you'll still need to reconfirm to get your payments every month. There will be a new declaration from 1 January 2025, so make sure you read this when you reconfirm.