❓ Mr. Logan questions the cancellation of specific trade courses at TAFE, while Minister Harvey defends the decision citing low enrolment numbers and alternative training arrangements. The exchange reveals disagreement on industry consultation and the sustainability of running courses with few students.
AnsweredQoN 248Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TAFE —
TRADE STUDIES
248. Mr F.M. LOGAN to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
I draw the minister's attention
to the wipe-out of the following trade studies from availability in Western Australia—motor
vehicle trimming, furniture upholstery, furniture polishing, floor covering and
wood machining.
(1) Can the
minister explain why Western Australia no longer needs these skills and why
somehow these jobs are no longer in demand in this state?
(2) Why was there
no consultation with industry before these trade courses were eliminated?
(3) What plans
does the minister have to ensure that these critical craft skills can still be
sourced by industry now that she has killed off the only means of developing these trades in WA?
TRADE STUDIES
248. Mr F.M. LOGAN to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
I draw the minister's attention
to the wipe-out of the following trade studies from availability in Western Australia—motor
vehicle trimming, furniture upholstery, furniture polishing, floor covering and
wood machining.
(1) Can the
minister explain why Western Australia no longer needs these skills and why
somehow these jobs are no longer in demand in this state?
(2) Why was there
no consultation with industry before these trade courses were eliminated?
(3) What plans
does the minister have to ensure that these critical craft skills can still be
sourced by industry now that she has killed off the only means of developing these trades in WA?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) Good
grief! What scaremongering we hear from the member for Cockburn. Perhaps the
member for Cockburn could acquaint himself with what is actually happening. Of
course we consulted industry.
Mr F.M. Logan : Did
you now? That is not what they told us.
Several members interjected.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The member for Cockburn might not be talking to the right people in the
industry.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! You are obviously speaking to different people.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The member for Cockburn is alluding to Polytechnic West no longer offering a
range of apprenticeships and traineeships in what we refer to as thin markets.
A thin market means there may be one enrolment in some of these courses for 2014. In 2013, there was one
enrolment in the certificate III in the engineering fabrication trade.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn! Now, I want the answer through the Chair; it
is not a dialogue between two people.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Some of the courses that have been cancelled had between one
and seven enrolments. Polytechnic West has realised that it is just not
sustainable to be running training programs and classes for a small number of
students such as that. I do not think anybody with any commonsense in this
state would say that running courses and programs for a very, very small number
of students is a useful spend of taxpayers' money. Part of the reason
that there are a small number of
students is that there are very,
very few positions in these areas of employment in Western Australia. If we do
not have the employers willing to take on the apprenticeships and the traineeships,
the students do not rock up for the courses.
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the first time, and
member for Mirrabooka, for the first time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : If the employers are not taking on the apprentices and
trainees, then naturally they are not enrolling in the classes.
Ms
J.M. Freeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : There are very small numbers of student enrolments in those
classes, so Polytechnic West has made a very astute business decision and
determined that it is not sustainable to run them. But what happens to the
students?
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the second time.
Member for Mirrabooka!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : What is really important in this space is that a small number
of students still wish to be trained in those areas. For the courses that
Polytechnic West are cancelling, we have gone out to tender and found other
institutes that are able to pull enough students together to run those courses
sustainably. So, the small number of students who still wish to be trained in
those course areas cancelled by Polytechnic West are still able to avail
themselves of those training opportunities. That is our commitment to those
students.
grief! What scaremongering we hear from the member for Cockburn. Perhaps the
member for Cockburn could acquaint himself with what is actually happening. Of
course we consulted industry.
Mr F.M. Logan : Did
you now? That is not what they told us.
Several members interjected.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The member for Cockburn might not be talking to the right people in the
industry.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! You are obviously speaking to different people.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The member for Cockburn is alluding to Polytechnic West no longer offering a
range of apprenticeships and traineeships in what we refer to as thin markets.
A thin market means there may be one enrolment in some of these courses for 2014. In 2013, there was one
enrolment in the certificate III in the engineering fabrication trade.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn! Now, I want the answer through the Chair; it
is not a dialogue between two people.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Some of the courses that have been cancelled had between one
and seven enrolments. Polytechnic West has realised that it is just not
sustainable to be running training programs and classes for a small number of
students such as that. I do not think anybody with any commonsense in this
state would say that running courses and programs for a very, very small number
of students is a useful spend of taxpayers' money. Part of the reason
that there are a small number of
students is that there are very,
very few positions in these areas of employment in Western Australia. If we do
not have the employers willing to take on the apprenticeships and the traineeships,
the students do not rock up for the courses.
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the first time, and
member for Mirrabooka, for the first time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : If the employers are not taking on the apprentices and
trainees, then naturally they are not enrolling in the classes.
Ms
J.M. Freeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : There are very small numbers of student enrolments in those
classes, so Polytechnic West has made a very astute business decision and
determined that it is not sustainable to run them. But what happens to the
students?
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the second time.
Member for Mirrabooka!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : What is really important in this space is that a small number
of students still wish to be trained in those areas. For the courses that
Polytechnic West are cancelling, we have gone out to tender and found other
institutes that are able to pull enough students together to run those courses
sustainably. So, the small number of students who still wish to be trained in
those course areas cancelled by Polytechnic West are still able to avail
themselves of those training opportunities. That is our commitment to those
students.
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