❓ Question on Notice regarding the Cook Labor government's investment in training, specifically low-fee initiatives and the new national skills agreement. The Minister's answer outlines the benefits of the agreement, including funding and priority areas.
AnsweredQoN 770Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TRAINING — NATIONAL SKILLS AGREEMENT
Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY :
Madam Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bicton.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.S. LOVE : Madam Speaker —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sorry, Leader of
the Opposition, I have already given the call to the member for Bicton, so you
will need to resume your seat. I have given the call to the member for Bicton.
770. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Training:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
significant investment in training that is delivering affordable opportunities
for all Western Australians.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how low-fee training initiatives are helping to
attract new workers to important sectors such as housing construction?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how the new national skills agreement will provide
more opportunities to develop Western Australia's workforce?
Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY :
Madam Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bicton.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.S. LOVE : Madam Speaker —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sorry, Leader of
the Opposition, I have already given the call to the member for Bicton, so you
will need to resume your seat. I have given the call to the member for Bicton.
770. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Training:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
significant investment in training that is delivering affordable opportunities
for all Western Australians.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how low-fee training initiatives are helping to
attract new workers to important sectors such as housing construction?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how the new national skills agreement will provide
more opportunities to develop Western Australia's workforce?
AnswerView source ↗
I wonder whether there is a joke in
here about doing a TAFE course on question time here in Parliament; I am not
sure. We might be able to deliver one up for members opposite who fail to pay
attention.
(1)–(2) It
is another exciting week in the world of vocational training for WA with the
announcement of the national skills agreement. It is an agreement that will
unlock billions of dollars to continue the good work that this government is doing in vocational training. It is significant
that we now have a five-year agreement . There has been a number of years
of interim agreements, and I am very proud to be part of the Cook government
that has worked with the Albanese government to achieve something that previous
federal Liberal–National governments could not do, which is to secure a
long-term training agreement. We look forward
to replacing the ad hoc approach of the previous federal government. This is a five-year
agreement and it will provide much-needed certainty as well as funds so
we can get on with the job of developing the
skills we need in Western Australia for our growing workforce. This agreement
will deliver $ 1.3 billion, which is $380 million more than the previous
funding agreement. As part of the package, $1.2 billion will be in flexible
funding. That will enable us to deliver skills in critical and emerging
industries, including clean energy, defence, the care sector, and digital and
IT.
The Cook government will be required
to provide $109 million in match funding for specific training and workforce
initiatives. I want to be clear that this funding, which is significant, a significant
quantum, a significant five-year agreement, is on top of the fee-free training
investment that we announced a few weeks
ago. That agreement will deliver, as I announced, more in 2024. There will be
22 000 more fee-free TAFE and vocational education and training places
for our state. This will enable us to continue our efforts to stay ahead of the
game when it comes to delivering for skills development for our state. As part
of the agreement, $125 million is available for specific workforce initiatives
that are delivering on some priority areas, which includes Closing the Gap
initiatives and improving foundation skills such as literacy and numeracy but
also digital literacy. We know that one in five workers in Australia has
problems with numeracy and literacy, so foundation skills are important. We are
going to create centres of excellence across the country and help with our
clean energy transition. These are all the priority areas that we will have
allocated funding. The work on clean energy transition is important as our
government prepares to convene an energy
transition summit next month to leverage for job opportunities and make sure
that we have the workforce needed to do this important work. All this
delivers and continues our track record on keeping training affordable to
ensure that we can respond to local workforce needs, which we have advocated is
important in this new agreement.
I give one specific example of how
this government listens to industry and responds. I received advocacy, and I know the Minister for Housing did as well,
from the community sector housing organisations saying that they needed
a specific skill set to help people who were supporting those who were at risk
of homelessness and those who were having difficulty keeping their tenancy. The
housing sector support agencies wanted a specific skill set for those people.
The Department of Training and Workforce Development entered into some
discussions with the community sector housing organisations, and as a result of that advocacy we now have a traineeship
that will deliver a certificate IV in housing, which is in direct response to
feedback from the industry in the need to upskill the social housing sector.
Organisations such as Shelter WA and the WA Community Housing sector
advocated for this training. The training will also be able to be delivered in low-fee traineeships. That is a really
good example of us listening to industry , responding and being able to
deliver this training in our low-fee packages, and we will have a specific
traineeship that will deliver for that sector. As we are able to deliver this
training as a low-fee offering, it will be really good for region-based
providers and those working in the Aboriginal community housing organisations.
As I said, this is another example of us listening to industry, putting our
shoulder to the wheel, doing the hard work, delivering and working with our
federal colleagues to deliver huge amounts of money into training and getting
local Western Australians into the jobs that are there.
here about doing a TAFE course on question time here in Parliament; I am not
sure. We might be able to deliver one up for members opposite who fail to pay
attention.
(1)–(2) It
is another exciting week in the world of vocational training for WA with the
announcement of the national skills agreement. It is an agreement that will
unlock billions of dollars to continue the good work that this government is doing in vocational training. It is significant
that we now have a five-year agreement . There has been a number of years
of interim agreements, and I am very proud to be part of the Cook government
that has worked with the Albanese government to achieve something that previous
federal Liberal–National governments could not do, which is to secure a
long-term training agreement. We look forward
to replacing the ad hoc approach of the previous federal government. This is a five-year
agreement and it will provide much-needed certainty as well as funds so
we can get on with the job of developing the
skills we need in Western Australia for our growing workforce. This agreement
will deliver $ 1.3 billion, which is $380 million more than the previous
funding agreement. As part of the package, $1.2 billion will be in flexible
funding. That will enable us to deliver skills in critical and emerging
industries, including clean energy, defence, the care sector, and digital and
IT.
The Cook government will be required
to provide $109 million in match funding for specific training and workforce
initiatives. I want to be clear that this funding, which is significant, a significant
quantum, a significant five-year agreement, is on top of the fee-free training
investment that we announced a few weeks
ago. That agreement will deliver, as I announced, more in 2024. There will be
22 000 more fee-free TAFE and vocational education and training places
for our state. This will enable us to continue our efforts to stay ahead of the
game when it comes to delivering for skills development for our state. As part
of the agreement, $125 million is available for specific workforce initiatives
that are delivering on some priority areas, which includes Closing the Gap
initiatives and improving foundation skills such as literacy and numeracy but
also digital literacy. We know that one in five workers in Australia has
problems with numeracy and literacy, so foundation skills are important. We are
going to create centres of excellence across the country and help with our
clean energy transition. These are all the priority areas that we will have
allocated funding. The work on clean energy transition is important as our
government prepares to convene an energy
transition summit next month to leverage for job opportunities and make sure
that we have the workforce needed to do this important work. All this
delivers and continues our track record on keeping training affordable to
ensure that we can respond to local workforce needs, which we have advocated is
important in this new agreement.
I give one specific example of how
this government listens to industry and responds. I received advocacy, and I know the Minister for Housing did as well,
from the community sector housing organisations saying that they needed
a specific skill set to help people who were supporting those who were at risk
of homelessness and those who were having difficulty keeping their tenancy. The
housing sector support agencies wanted a specific skill set for those people.
The Department of Training and Workforce Development entered into some
discussions with the community sector housing organisations, and as a result of that advocacy we now have a traineeship
that will deliver a certificate IV in housing, which is in direct response to
feedback from the industry in the need to upskill the social housing sector.
Organisations such as Shelter WA and the WA Community Housing sector
advocated for this training. The training will also be able to be delivered in low-fee traineeships. That is a really
good example of us listening to industry , responding and being able to
deliver this training in our low-fee packages, and we will have a specific
traineeship that will deliver for that sector. As we are able to deliver this
training as a low-fee offering, it will be really good for region-based
providers and those working in the Aboriginal community housing organisations.
As I said, this is another example of us listening to industry, putting our
shoulder to the wheel, doing the hard work, delivering and working with our
federal colleagues to deliver huge amounts of money into training and getting
local Western Australians into the jobs that are there.
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