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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Thursday, 1 April 2004) . . Page.. 1532 ..

school. The government must create sustainable and effective linkages between VET institutions and the private sector. Pathways between schools and businesses are crucial to address these skills shortages. Sound policies are needed from the government that encourage ACT businesses to take on trainees and apprentices. VET teachers should be better supported. I have pleasure in supporting this motion.

MS MacDONALD (4.22): It is important that members understand the two factors that influence skills shortages. First, workers are not trained or provided with skills to do a certain job. The work itself does not attract workers. Second, workers might receive low pay, the work might be transitional in nature, and it might be physically demanding. The government has a limited influence over those factors. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identifies national skills shortages. The ACT is not large enough to qualify as a statistical local area, so its figures form part of the figures for New South Wales.

In the ACT, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has identified information communication technologies as a skill shortage. However, I would suggest that there are information communication technology skills shortages around the country. The ACT government, through the Chief Minister’s Department and Treasury, identifies skills shortages after undertaking an analysis of the economic environment. The government also undertakes an analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data and the data provided by other Commonwealth agencies.

The Department of Education, Youth and Family Services consults widely with key stakeholders, such as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, industry training advisory bodies and industry representatives and employers through forums and workshops. When I worked for an ITAB, the ACT government consulted with that body. I believe that that consultation has only increased since this Labor government has been in office. The result has been that skills shortages have been reported in some areas.

The department, through the Training and Adult Education branch, identifies these areas as priority areas for vocational education and training. An example of this proactive approach occurred in 2001-03 when a skill shortage was identified in the aged care industry. Funding was provided to train over 100 enrolled nurses over that period in addition to the normal intake of around 80 per year. Over the past five years funding has also been provided to train existing aged care workers in addition to increasing new apprenticeship numbers.

Those priority areas are described in the department’s Vocational education and training half-yearly outlook, the most recent of which was published in November 2003. That document is published only after consultation with the organisations to which I referred earlier. I am aware that the industry training advisory bodies are consulted in that regard as I used to participate in that lengthy and complex process. Current priorities include arts and entertainment, automotive, business services, community services and health, finance and insurance, government administration and defence.

Business end-users of information technology, personal services and retail, printing and graphic arts, property services, sport and recreation have also been identified as priority areas. The in-depth analysis undertaken by the department enables us to direct much-needed resources into these areas. Planning decisions about purchasing training and

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