❓ A WA parliamentary question regarding the allocation of $10 million for access and equity training, questioning the state's unique approach and funding guarantees. The Minister's response defends the new system and confirms ongoing funding.
AnsweredQoN 814Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
OF TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT — ACCESS AND EQUITY TRAINING
814. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
I refer to the announcement by the Department of Training and
Workforce Development in late 2013 that $10 million would be allocated to the
provision of access and equity training.
(1) Can the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development advise why Western Australia is
the only state where the future skills entitlement model does not allow for
stand-alone access and equity training?
(2) Why, given
that previous access and equity programs had been running successfully for
several years, did the department, without any consultation with the sector,
develop a different approach to access and equity training that focused on
brokers rather than the disadvantaged clients themselves?
(3) Will the
minister guarantee ongoing funding for access and equity programs once the
allocated $10 million runs out; and, if not, why not?
OF TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT — ACCESS AND EQUITY TRAINING
814. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
I refer to the announcement by the Department of Training and
Workforce Development in late 2013 that $10 million would be allocated to the
provision of access and equity training.
(1) Can the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development advise why Western Australia is
the only state where the future skills entitlement model does not allow for
stand-alone access and equity training?
(2) Why, given
that previous access and equity programs had been running successfully for
several years, did the department, without any consultation with the sector,
develop a different approach to access and equity training that focused on
brokers rather than the disadvantaged clients themselves?
(3) Will the
minister guarantee ongoing funding for access and equity programs once the
allocated $10 million runs out; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question.
(1) Under
Future Skills WA, access and equity courses are still available through both public
and private training providers.
(2) The
previous system provided fixed allocations of places to particular registered
training organisations. This limited people's choice and left it to the
registered training organisations to recruit eligible students to fill those
places.
The new system is based on a
user-choice model, which establishes a panel of registered training
organisations from which brokers, in conjunction with students, can choose an
appropriate training provider and course. Under this model, brokers are able to
assist eligible students in navigating the system, confirm their eligibility
and ensure that the training fits in as part of the overall service framework
developed for each client.
The focus is more clearly on
targeting services to eligible students and assisting them to make informed
decisions. The agencies chosen to be brokers are already involved with the
particular target groups as part of their core service delivery.
Members of all equity groups, with
the exception of youth at risk, are still able to self-refer to registered
training organisations contracted to deliver training under the participation
program.
(3) The
Department of Training and Workforce Development is committed to providing
funding for access and equity programs and has budgeted $15 million for the
participation program in 2014–15.
question.
(1) Under
Future Skills WA, access and equity courses are still available through both public
and private training providers.
(2) The
previous system provided fixed allocations of places to particular registered
training organisations. This limited people's choice and left it to the
registered training organisations to recruit eligible students to fill those
places.
The new system is based on a
user-choice model, which establishes a panel of registered training
organisations from which brokers, in conjunction with students, can choose an
appropriate training provider and course. Under this model, brokers are able to
assist eligible students in navigating the system, confirm their eligibility
and ensure that the training fits in as part of the overall service framework
developed for each client.
The focus is more clearly on
targeting services to eligible students and assisting them to make informed
decisions. The agencies chosen to be brokers are already involved with the
particular target groups as part of their core service delivery.
Members of all equity groups, with
the exception of youth at risk, are still able to self-refer to registered
training organisations contracted to deliver training under the participation
program.
(3) The
Department of Training and Workforce Development is committed to providing
funding for access and equity programs and has budgeted $15 million for the
participation program in 2014–15.
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.