On Friday 20 May 202 I was interviewed by Philip King, Editor of Accountants Daily about the new Apprenticeships Data Management System (ADMS). Read the full article here:
Mid-April my employers of apprentices were advised the claims for employer incentives would now be made via the ADMS. This process is meant to be easier and smoother in the long run but the employer is required to get their MyGovId, Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) to claim on the ADMS. Sounds easy? No, not at all. If you have all the required information at hand and have not changed your name, if all of your identification has the same names including your middle name or initial, and the stars align, it is easy. Unfortunately, that is not the case for many, especially women who have changed their names or remarried.
After the article was published, I received a call from Laura Angus from the Department of Education, Skills and employment (DESE) explaining there was an initial error in the date. The claims for January - March 2022 deadline is not 30 June 2022 as published but 30 June 2023. This change was meant to be communicated to employers via the service providers but we have not seen it.
While I appreciate the phone call and explanation, and I understand this is a bit of pain for a long term gain with easier claims, this does not change the fact that we have government incentives to employ apprentices and mature-aged apprentices but the new system procedure was not provided to advisors prior to launch. Had we been educated first, we could have saved the frustration of clients and softened their reactions. It would also have meant they might have been able to access their incentives quicker and more easily.
Here are some links that will assist with the process:
There is also a national customer service line to call for assistance 1800 020 108.