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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 3351 ..

MS DUNDAS (continuing):

placement, so that their skills are always up to date and the skills that they are passing on to their students are continually up to date.

Again, this will take resources. It'll take a focus on actually having vocational education teachers in our school system. That is another strong recommendation in this report. We also need to provide relevant experience for our students, be that through the school system, be that through the TAE system, or be that through other private providers actually allowing students of any age, the ability to participate in the industry that they are learning about, to get the hands on experience. Again, this is something that will need a greater resource focus. It's not necessarily pouring more money into the vocational education bucket, but perhaps the reallocation of the funds that are in there to allow the system to expand in a way that we know it needs to.

Ms MacDonald also raised some of the systemic issues facing vocational education in terms of access and the tender processes for actually putting out of courses. This inhibits registered training organisations in the way that they can plan and produce courses. It is something that, whilst it might seem minor in terms of all the other issues that have been raised in this report, is of quite concern to those people who provide vocational courses and something that does need to be addressed.

Vocational education and training, we do recognise, is important to our community-through training up people to take on new roles and new jobs in the community, by training up apprenticeships and by being part of the life-long learning experience that I know this Assembly is committed to. It does provide vital skills for the community and makes our society one that we can be more assured is actually providing us with the services that we expect and demand. Vocational education does deserve a renewed focus, does deserve to be promoted as an important part of the educational experience. I hope that this report will provide the government with the impetus and the direction it needs to make this a reality.

Debate (on motion by Ms Gallagher ) adjourned to the next sitting.

Health-Standing Committee

Report No 5

MS TUCKER: (12.09): I present the following report:

I seek leave to move a motion authorising the report for publication.

Leave granted

MS TUCKER: I move:

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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