MINISTER NEEDS TO EXPLAIN LOST APPRENTICESHIP PLACES
Mar 29, 2010
The number of apprentices in training has dropped by more than 3,000 since the Barnett Government took office, Shadow Training Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said today.
Date: 23 March 2010
Ms Ravlich said there were currently 19,706 apprentices in training compared with Labor's record of 23,000 apprentices in 2008.
"The Training and Workforce Development Minister Peter Collier needs to explain why he is failing to promote training and failing to develop WA's workforce," Ms Ravlich said.
"Mr Collier has not only shrunk the pool of apprentices in training by 3295, but has also done his best to fritter away the improvements Labor made to WA's training system."
The Barnett Government has:
- Ripped $58.3million from apprentices and their families by cutting the It Pays To Learn allowance;
- Returned only $47.3million over three years to fund training in the budget;
- Admitted in Parliament that none of the Budget allocation would directly fund apprenticeship places;
- Squandered a large part of this meager training budget on setting up the new Department of Training and Workforce Development and rebadging and renaming TAFEWA Colleges;
- Cut TAFEWA staffing numbers in last year's budget from 746 FTE to a projected 688.
Ms Ravlich said after more than a year of neglect the Barnett Government still had no plan to assist apprentices or trainees and had not invested any real money in training in Western Australia.
"It is disappointing that, after the huge gains Labor made in the training sector, we now have a Liberal Minister doing his best to dismantle that good work," Ms Ravlich said.
"The Minister needs to explain why he has failed so badly and what he will do to make up for the ground he has lost.
"The economy is booming and the Minister needs to lift his game before Western Australia is hit hard by a skills shortage."
Labor's record on training:
- Doubled the number of apprentices and trainees from less than 19,000 in 2001 to more than 37,000 in 2008;
- Tripled the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander apprenticeships and traineeships;
- Committed a record $284million funding to training from February 2005, including an additional $66million in the 2008-09 State Budget;
- Modernised the 30 year-old training laws;
- Increased the compulsory school age to get more young people into school or training;
- Reformed the training system to allow almost 10,000 young people to take up trade training in schools; and
- Committed a record amount of funding for training and new equipment.
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