❓ Mr. Norberger asks about the Liberal-National government's achievements in training and workforce development. The Minister responds by outlining five key commitments that have been fulfilled or are on track, including vocational training in schools, support for regional apprentices, women in non-traditional trades, revitalising the Muresk Institute, and specialisation of state training providers.
AnsweredQoN 482Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TRAINING
AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
482. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
Can the minister please update the house on some of the key
achievements of the Liberal–National government in the training and
workforce development portfolio?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Short
answer, minister.
AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
482. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
Can the minister please update the house on some of the key
achievements of the Liberal–National government in the training and
workforce development portfolio?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Short
answer, minister.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Joondalup for the question and,
indeed, for his ongoing interest in training matters. I am really pleased to
update the house on the status of the Liberal–National government's
five very significant commitments to support training in Western Australia, all
of which have been fulfilled or are on track, which the member for Joondalup
will be pleased to know. The first commitment was to provide a best practice
model to ensure that vocational education and training provided in schools was
of high quality and would be consistent with industry expectations and
standards. Indeed, the state has published an online industry-endorsed schools
qualifications register in collaboration with training councils, participants
in the sector and other industry bodies to ensure that those students who are
engaging in vocational training in our schools are assured that they will
receive training that is consistent with industry standards and up to industry
expectations and, indeed, will help lead them to further pathways in training, higher
education or employment.
The second commitment was to support our apprentices and
trainees who live in regional areas when they are attending training in Perth.
Around 900 regionally based apprentices and trainees need to travel to other
parts of the state to complete their training. We have doubled the
accommodation allowance for those students and eligible apprentices to ensure
that they can travel to attend to those training needs if they cannot be
delivered to them locally in regional areas. We have provided a key commitment
of $1.2 million over four years to support women going into non-traditional
trade areas in which we have seen a low participation rate. That is on track.
We expect to announce the successful recipients of the first tranche around 1 July.
It has been oversubscribed. By the time we finalise that program, we expect
that we will have provided over 400 courses to women in areas in which they
would not necessarily be looking to seek training and make career choices.
The other key area is revitalising the Muresk Institute.
Funding has been committed and work is progressing. We are looking at turning
it into a multiuse facility and having a number of tenants use it. We want it
to be an education precinct, catering to various training and educational
programs, particularly within the agricultural sector. We are looking at
refurbishing part of the training facility at Muresk. We want to ensure that we
are delivering and revitalising opportunities for training in the agricultural
sector given our other commitments towards agriculture right across the broad
depth of this government.
Our final commitment is to support further specialisation of
our state training providers, which will commence in 2015–16. We have
started consultation with industry and with those training providers.
I thank the member for Joondalup for his commitment to
training. As he has heard, the government has a strategy to ensure growth in
the training sector, to ensure that it is sustainably managed and efficient and
to ensure that people accessing the system go into areas that will lead to
trade opportunities, employment and further education. It is in stark contrast
to the wannabe minister, the member for Cockburn. His strategy for training so
far, if his comments in this house are anything to go by —
Mr F.M. Logan :
Sack you. That's my strategy for training. Get rid of you!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Sack me! What his strategy is—and I wish you luck with this if you ever
become minister, member for Cockburn—is behead the director general of
training. This is the strategy, the Labor Party policy: behead the director
general of training and then get rid of all the meatheads and boofheads in the
agency. What a great strategy—well thought out! Nice job—nice
work! I look forward to him rolling out the rest of them. We have a strategy
for training. We are doing well. We are seeing people enrol in areas that will
lead to employment. We will continue in this area to make inroads into
improving the training sector in Western Australia.
indeed, for his ongoing interest in training matters. I am really pleased to
update the house on the status of the Liberal–National government's
five very significant commitments to support training in Western Australia, all
of which have been fulfilled or are on track, which the member for Joondalup
will be pleased to know. The first commitment was to provide a best practice
model to ensure that vocational education and training provided in schools was
of high quality and would be consistent with industry expectations and
standards. Indeed, the state has published an online industry-endorsed schools
qualifications register in collaboration with training councils, participants
in the sector and other industry bodies to ensure that those students who are
engaging in vocational training in our schools are assured that they will
receive training that is consistent with industry standards and up to industry
expectations and, indeed, will help lead them to further pathways in training, higher
education or employment.
The second commitment was to support our apprentices and
trainees who live in regional areas when they are attending training in Perth.
Around 900 regionally based apprentices and trainees need to travel to other
parts of the state to complete their training. We have doubled the
accommodation allowance for those students and eligible apprentices to ensure
that they can travel to attend to those training needs if they cannot be
delivered to them locally in regional areas. We have provided a key commitment
of $1.2 million over four years to support women going into non-traditional
trade areas in which we have seen a low participation rate. That is on track.
We expect to announce the successful recipients of the first tranche around 1 July.
It has been oversubscribed. By the time we finalise that program, we expect
that we will have provided over 400 courses to women in areas in which they
would not necessarily be looking to seek training and make career choices.
The other key area is revitalising the Muresk Institute.
Funding has been committed and work is progressing. We are looking at turning
it into a multiuse facility and having a number of tenants use it. We want it
to be an education precinct, catering to various training and educational
programs, particularly within the agricultural sector. We are looking at
refurbishing part of the training facility at Muresk. We want to ensure that we
are delivering and revitalising opportunities for training in the agricultural
sector given our other commitments towards agriculture right across the broad
depth of this government.
Our final commitment is to support further specialisation of
our state training providers, which will commence in 2015–16. We have
started consultation with industry and with those training providers.
I thank the member for Joondalup for his commitment to
training. As he has heard, the government has a strategy to ensure growth in
the training sector, to ensure that it is sustainably managed and efficient and
to ensure that people accessing the system go into areas that will lead to
trade opportunities, employment and further education. It is in stark contrast
to the wannabe minister, the member for Cockburn. His strategy for training so
far, if his comments in this house are anything to go by —
Mr F.M. Logan :
Sack you. That's my strategy for training. Get rid of you!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Sack me! What his strategy is—and I wish you luck with this if you ever
become minister, member for Cockburn—is behead the director general of
training. This is the strategy, the Labor Party policy: behead the director
general of training and then get rid of all the meatheads and boofheads in the
agency. What a great strategy—well thought out! Nice job—nice
work! I look forward to him rolling out the rest of them. We have a strategy
for training. We are doing well. We are seeing people enrol in areas that will
lead to employment. We will continue in this area to make inroads into
improving the training sector in Western Australia.
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