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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 9 Hansard (21 August) . . Page.. 2710 ..

MS DUNDAS (continuing):

lifelong learning, because our society and economy are changing so rapidly. Institutions such as the Canberra Institute of Technology are well suited to the provision of lifelong training in conjunction with employment.

Changes in our society are affected by the age and gender breakdown of people participating in vocational training. Prior to 1992, mature-age apprenticeships were almost unknown, but today more than a quarter of the apprentices are 25 years of age or older and about 8 per cent are aged over 40. We will probably see the proportion of mature-age students increase further as we continue along the path that we have set ourselves of lifelong learning and different changes in workforce employment.

Women now make up about a third of the new apprenticeships nationwide, which is a marked increase on the proportion of females who took up apprenticeships before the traineeship system began in 1985. The creation of apprenticeships in the retail, clerical and service areas has driven this shift. The thousands of Canberrans who undertake to improve their skills while working for a fairly minimal training wage make an enormous contribution to our society and our economy. As I have often said, education is an investment, not a cost, and these new apprentices make an investment that benefits us all.

I think that there are some new apprentices who are being exploited by their employers and who are not being given proper on-the-job training. We must look out for them. But most employers and all educators do take their obligations seriously. I think there is great value in recognising the most outstanding providers as well as the most dedicated apprentices.

I, like my colleagues, am looking forward to the awards dinner tonight and I look forward to congratulating the people recognised at the ACT training excellence awards on the contribution they have made to building a skilled and capable community.

MR STEFANIAK (4.51): I think that I am the last speaker, which is an early warning for the Chief Minister about the next matter on which I will be speaking. I would also like to say a few words on this subject. I have listened to the debate with interest and thank Ms MacDonald for bringing on this matter of public importance. It is about a terribly important matter. It was good to see the bipartisan comments. Indeed, I do not often agree with Mr Corbell, but I certainly agree with what he said today, especially his comments about the bipartisan approach of all the state and territory governments and the Commonwealth and the real desire, which I noticed as well at the various MCEETYA meetings and training ministers meetings I went to over the years, to advance vocation education and training.

I am delighted with the advances made since I became involved in the area as a politician in 1995. I can recall making similar comments to those of Mr Corbell, Ms MacDonald and Mr Pratt about the need for placing greater emphasis on vocational education and training. The fact is that only 30 per cent of Australia's year 12 students go on to university-40 per cent in the territory-and the majority do not. The majority go out into the workforce. The majority here go out into the workforce, but very many indeed end up in our vocational education and training system. Our CIT has over 19,000 students, which is, I think, more than all of the universities in Canberra combined in terms of undergraduates.

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