❓ The Premier responds to a question about TAFE enrolments, highlighting increased enrolments and government initiatives while criticising the previous Liberal government's handling of TAFE and fee increases.
AnsweredQoN 708Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TAFE — ENROLMENTS
708. Ms S.E. WINTON to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to rebuilding TAFE and creating more training
opportunities for Western Australian trainees and apprentices. Can the Premier
update the house on how this government's investment in training is
leading to more Western Australians enrolling in TAFE?
708. Ms S.E. WINTON to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to rebuilding TAFE and creating more training
opportunities for Western Australian trainees and apprentices. Can the Premier
update the house on how this government's investment in training is
leading to more Western Australians enrolling in TAFE?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wanneroo for
the question. It is true that under the former Liberal government TAFE was
gutted, appallingly, by none other than the current Leader of the Opposition.
We have had to rebuild TAFE and training in Western Australia to ensure that
many Western Australians, young and old, get the opportunity to access training
and learn skills. Under the member for Scarborough, there was a massive drop in
enrolments of about 24 per cent. I am pleased to say that we are turning things
around. The latest figures from the last year to March 2019 show growth. New
entrant trainee enrolments are up five per cent; apprenticeship course
enrolments are up 4.4 per cent; enrolments for priority start qualifications
are up 15.5 per cent; apprenticeship contact hours are up 12 per cent; and
total contact hours are up 2.7 per cent. What we are doing is having a positive
impact.
I want to outline some things that
we are doing that the last government did not. We have delivered 13 jobs and
skills centres. Members should go to see the Jobs and Skills WA centres in the
TAFEs. More than half of those are in regional Western Australia. People can go
there and be put in direct contact with someone who will work with them and
case-manage them into a course and into contact with an employer. They link
people directly to training and jobs. We have delivered our Jobs and Skills WA
employer incentive scheme, and small businesses, which were never eligible
before, will now receive $8 500 for employing apprentices and new entrant
trainees. We have expanded the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund
to the mining industry to secure an additional spend on training in WA. No
government has ever had the courage to do that before or to take that on. We have
secured an important new funding source for training in the state. Also, the Western
Australian Jobs Act means that government
projects need to outline how many apprentices they will employ. Lastly, we
froze TAFE fees . The last government put up many fees by 500 per cent.
The Leader of the Liberal Party put up fees by 500 per cent!
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : If the member wants to
interject more, I will bring in a question tomorrow and outline which courses
they were. Under the last government, there was a 500 per cent increase in
training fees. We have frozen TAFE fees. We are on the side of apprentices and
training. We want to see Western Australians get those opportunities and that
is what this government is delivering.
the question. It is true that under the former Liberal government TAFE was
gutted, appallingly, by none other than the current Leader of the Opposition.
We have had to rebuild TAFE and training in Western Australia to ensure that
many Western Australians, young and old, get the opportunity to access training
and learn skills. Under the member for Scarborough, there was a massive drop in
enrolments of about 24 per cent. I am pleased to say that we are turning things
around. The latest figures from the last year to March 2019 show growth. New
entrant trainee enrolments are up five per cent; apprenticeship course
enrolments are up 4.4 per cent; enrolments for priority start qualifications
are up 15.5 per cent; apprenticeship contact hours are up 12 per cent; and
total contact hours are up 2.7 per cent. What we are doing is having a positive
impact.
I want to outline some things that
we are doing that the last government did not. We have delivered 13 jobs and
skills centres. Members should go to see the Jobs and Skills WA centres in the
TAFEs. More than half of those are in regional Western Australia. People can go
there and be put in direct contact with someone who will work with them and
case-manage them into a course and into contact with an employer. They link
people directly to training and jobs. We have delivered our Jobs and Skills WA
employer incentive scheme, and small businesses, which were never eligible
before, will now receive $8 500 for employing apprentices and new entrant
trainees. We have expanded the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund
to the mining industry to secure an additional spend on training in WA. No
government has ever had the courage to do that before or to take that on. We have
secured an important new funding source for training in the state. Also, the Western
Australian Jobs Act means that government
projects need to outline how many apprentices they will employ. Lastly, we
froze TAFE fees . The last government put up many fees by 500 per cent.
The Leader of the Liberal Party put up fees by 500 per cent!
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : If the member wants to
interject more, I will bring in a question tomorrow and outline which courses
they were. Under the last government, there was a 500 per cent increase in
training fees. We have frozen TAFE fees. We are on the side of apprentices and
training. We want to see Western Australians get those opportunities and that
is what this government is delivering.
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