❓ The Minister responds to a question about the COAG Reform Council report on training skills, highlighting WA's performance relative to other states and areas for improvement, particularly VET completion rates.
AnsweredQoN 701Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COUNCIL
OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS — REFORM COUNCIL REPORT
701. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
Could the minister
advise the house on the findings of the Council of Australian Governments'
Reform Council report that was released today on training skills across
Australia, and where Western Australia sits compared with the rest of the
nation, as vocational training is of great importance to constituents in the
electorate of Forrestfield?
OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS — REFORM COUNCIL REPORT
701. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
Could the minister
advise the house on the findings of the Council of Australian Governments'
Reform Council report that was released today on training skills across
Australia, and where Western Australia sits compared with the rest of the
nation, as vocational training is of great importance to constituents in the
electorate of Forrestfield?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for Forrestfield for the question and for his interest in training in his
electorate and the importance of training as a pathway to employment.
Employment supports the great state of Western Australia. For those in
the house who are unaware, the Council of Australian Governments'
Reform Council was established in January 2009 as an independent body that
reports directly to COAG, rather than to the commonwealth or a particular state
or territory government. The primary roles of the COAG Reform Council are to
report on the performance of governments under national agreements and
partnerships, which is where the training space comes into play. Its role is
also to highlight examples of good practice and performance across the nation
that can be used as good exemplars for strategies in particular states, and
also to report to COAG on the pace of activity across the overall COAG reform
agenda.
Two reports were announced today by the chair of the
committee, John Brumby. One was on education and the other was on progress
under the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development. The skills
report has three themes: firstly, are the skill levels of the working-age
population increasing; secondly, do all working-age Australians have the
opportunity to develop skills; and, thirdly, is training delivering the skills
and capabilities needed for improved economic participation? At the national
level the report finds that since 2008, overall the proportion of working-age
Australians with a certificate III qualification or higher has gone up. That is
really important, because our workforce development plans and strategies have
identified that the need for higher level skills is all the more important,
particularly in certificate III, diplomas and above. At a national level, that
has gone up. Also, more employers are satisfied with the training system, even
given its complexity. I have come to grips with its complexity in the past
eight months. We are also on track to double the number of diploma and advanced
diploma completions by 2020.
When we drill down to Western Australia's performance
in those categories, I am very pleased to see that we rate quite well. That
does not mean to say that there is not scope for improvement, and it does not
mean to say that we should not be working very closely with industry to ensure
that we have a training system that meets its needs and helps to support the
economy of WA. But at a Western Australian level, the proportion of Western
Australians of working age with certificate III or higher has risen from 48.1 per
cent in 2006, to 53.5 per cent in 2011. That is a good outcome. That equates to
more than 160 000 additional working-age Western Australians with higher level
qualifications. The proportion of working-age Western Australians studying for
a non-school qualification has gone up from 58 per cent to 63.4 per cent. One
concern I have is that the proportion of vocational education and training
graduates with improved employment status after training decreased slightly—about
0.9 per cent. That was a national trend, but Western Australia's
performance against other states was above that average. Another interesting
statistic was the number of vocational education and training completions as a
proportion of enrolments. That went up from 23.1 per cent in 2007, to 27.7 per
cent in 2011. Although that is a good improvement, I do not consider 27.7 per
cent to be a good figure for completions from enrolments.
I think the messages here are that in a comparative sense
Western Australia is performing well. But that does not mean we should drop our
guard; we must ensure that we have a quality training sector, both public and
private, in Western Australia to support the economy. Looking at Western
Australia's economy in recent years and its performance against the
other states, I think it is fair to say that our training system and the
training agenda has supported the state's economy, which of course
supports all Western Australians.
for Forrestfield for the question and for his interest in training in his
electorate and the importance of training as a pathway to employment.
Employment supports the great state of Western Australia. For those in
the house who are unaware, the Council of Australian Governments'
Reform Council was established in January 2009 as an independent body that
reports directly to COAG, rather than to the commonwealth or a particular state
or territory government. The primary roles of the COAG Reform Council are to
report on the performance of governments under national agreements and
partnerships, which is where the training space comes into play. Its role is
also to highlight examples of good practice and performance across the nation
that can be used as good exemplars for strategies in particular states, and
also to report to COAG on the pace of activity across the overall COAG reform
agenda.
Two reports were announced today by the chair of the
committee, John Brumby. One was on education and the other was on progress
under the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development. The skills
report has three themes: firstly, are the skill levels of the working-age
population increasing; secondly, do all working-age Australians have the
opportunity to develop skills; and, thirdly, is training delivering the skills
and capabilities needed for improved economic participation? At the national
level the report finds that since 2008, overall the proportion of working-age
Australians with a certificate III qualification or higher has gone up. That is
really important, because our workforce development plans and strategies have
identified that the need for higher level skills is all the more important,
particularly in certificate III, diplomas and above. At a national level, that
has gone up. Also, more employers are satisfied with the training system, even
given its complexity. I have come to grips with its complexity in the past
eight months. We are also on track to double the number of diploma and advanced
diploma completions by 2020.
When we drill down to Western Australia's performance
in those categories, I am very pleased to see that we rate quite well. That
does not mean to say that there is not scope for improvement, and it does not
mean to say that we should not be working very closely with industry to ensure
that we have a training system that meets its needs and helps to support the
economy of WA. But at a Western Australian level, the proportion of Western
Australians of working age with certificate III or higher has risen from 48.1 per
cent in 2006, to 53.5 per cent in 2011. That is a good outcome. That equates to
more than 160 000 additional working-age Western Australians with higher level
qualifications. The proportion of working-age Western Australians studying for
a non-school qualification has gone up from 58 per cent to 63.4 per cent. One
concern I have is that the proportion of vocational education and training
graduates with improved employment status after training decreased slightly—about
0.9 per cent. That was a national trend, but Western Australia's
performance against other states was above that average. Another interesting
statistic was the number of vocational education and training completions as a
proportion of enrolments. That went up from 23.1 per cent in 2007, to 27.7 per
cent in 2011. Although that is a good improvement, I do not consider 27.7 per
cent to be a good figure for completions from enrolments.
I think the messages here are that in a comparative sense
Western Australia is performing well. But that does not mean we should drop our
guard; we must ensure that we have a quality training sector, both public and
private, in Western Australia to support the economy. Looking at Western
Australia's economy in recent years and its performance against the
other states, I think it is fair to say that our training system and the
training agenda has supported the state's economy, which of course
supports all Western Australians.
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