❓ Mr. Punch asks about the McGowan government's Jobs and Skills Centres and their impact on job opportunities and business growth. The Premier responds positively, highlighting the investment in these centres and their accessibility, while criticising the previous Liberal government's TAFE policies.
AnsweredQoN 470Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
JOBS AND SKILLS CENTRES
470. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to ensuring that Western Australians,
particularly those in regional Western Australia, have access to the training
and skills they need to enter the workforce.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, you have a death wish today.
Mr
D.T. PUNCH : Can the Premier
update the house on how this government's 13 jobs and skills centres
are not only creating more job
opportunities for Western Australians, but also supporting businesses in
growing their workforce?
470. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to ensuring that Western Australians,
particularly those in regional Western Australia, have access to the training
and skills they need to enter the workforce.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, you have a death wish today.
Mr
D.T. PUNCH : Can the Premier
update the house on how this government's 13 jobs and skills centres
are not only creating more job
opportunities for Western Australians, but also supporting businesses in
growing their workforce?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for Bunbury. I am very pleased to report that the member was
at the opening of the Bunbury Jobs and Skills Centre a few weeks ago
with the Minister for Education and Training, which was a half a million-dollar
investment in that facility for the people of the south west and, indeed, for
greater Bunbury. Training, of course, is one thing that we have focused on to a
large extent since we have been in office. We know that a strong economy needs
strong locally trained workers from Western Australia. That is why we took to
the election our plan for jobs and skills centres, and we are delivering them
across Western Australia.
Young people and people needing
retraining are accessing these jobs and skills centres across the state. We
have now delivered 13 jobs and skills centres across Western Australia. More
than half of those are in regional Western Australia. Three weeks ago, the
minister launched the Northam Jobs and Skills Centre, which will have outreach centres across the wheatbelt. A week ago,
the Minister for Education and Training opened the Karratha Jobs and
Skills Centre, which will provide outreach across the Pilbara. The Bunbury
centre will deliver outreach services into Busselton, Collie, Margaret River
and other communities. We are seeing strong results from our jobs and skills
centres. The website, the services and direct services face to face have been
accessed many thousands of times by people. If people go to one of the jobs and
skills centres, they will be able to access expert advice, connecting them with
employers or the courses they might need that suit their interests and
background. We have seen 1 500 Aboriginal students and job seekers already
benefit from these services.
As a parent, I know that it is very
confusing these days. For parents with children in years 11 and 12 or who are leaving high school, this is a great service to Western
Australians to access the labour market. Of course, this is contrary to what happened under the last
government, when the TAFE sector was decimated when the now Leader of the
Opposition put up fees on many courses by 500 per cent. For engineering,
nursing and other important courses that people want to access for some of
those great jobs out there in Western Australia, there was a 500 per cent increase
in course fees by the now Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Party when they
were in office. As a consequence, 10 000 fewer Western Australians enrolled in
TAFE. When it comes to training, the Liberal Party made a mess of it. This
government is creating the new services that Western Australian families and
jobseekers need and want.
thank the member for Bunbury. I am very pleased to report that the member was
at the opening of the Bunbury Jobs and Skills Centre a few weeks ago
with the Minister for Education and Training, which was a half a million-dollar
investment in that facility for the people of the south west and, indeed, for
greater Bunbury. Training, of course, is one thing that we have focused on to a
large extent since we have been in office. We know that a strong economy needs
strong locally trained workers from Western Australia. That is why we took to
the election our plan for jobs and skills centres, and we are delivering them
across Western Australia.
Young people and people needing
retraining are accessing these jobs and skills centres across the state. We
have now delivered 13 jobs and skills centres across Western Australia. More
than half of those are in regional Western Australia. Three weeks ago, the
minister launched the Northam Jobs and Skills Centre, which will have outreach centres across the wheatbelt. A week ago,
the Minister for Education and Training opened the Karratha Jobs and
Skills Centre, which will provide outreach across the Pilbara. The Bunbury
centre will deliver outreach services into Busselton, Collie, Margaret River
and other communities. We are seeing strong results from our jobs and skills
centres. The website, the services and direct services face to face have been
accessed many thousands of times by people. If people go to one of the jobs and
skills centres, they will be able to access expert advice, connecting them with
employers or the courses they might need that suit their interests and
background. We have seen 1 500 Aboriginal students and job seekers already
benefit from these services.
As a parent, I know that it is very
confusing these days. For parents with children in years 11 and 12 or who are leaving high school, this is a great service to Western
Australians to access the labour market. Of course, this is contrary to what happened under the last
government, when the TAFE sector was decimated when the now Leader of the
Opposition put up fees on many courses by 500 per cent. For engineering,
nursing and other important courses that people want to access for some of
those great jobs out there in Western Australia, there was a 500 per cent increase
in course fees by the now Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Party when they
were in office. As a consequence, 10 000 fewer Western Australians enrolled in
TAFE. When it comes to training, the Liberal Party made a mess of it. This
government is creating the new services that Western Australian families and
jobseekers need and want.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.