Page 3628 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
CIT provides high-level support for students with a disability and welcomes the growth in the number of students with a disability studying at CIT over the last five years. To continue to support people with a disability to achieve their educational goals, CIT will receive additional funding from the ACT government for these services.
CIT is a significant contributor to the gains in the ACT’s employment performance over time in vocational education and training. This improvement includes the number of higher qualification completions, which have increased by 22 per cent between 2008 and 2009. Students’ employment outcomes are a priority for CIT and are used to measure the success of CIT.
National Centre for Vocational Education Research figures for 2011 show that 92 per cent of CIT graduates were employed or in further study after training, compared with 87 per cent nationally. CIT graduates also exceeded the national benchmark on all other measures.
The national partnership on skills reform implementation will fund increases to skill and qualification levels in the ACT. Through this reform, the government will deliver a new VET system that stresses quality through enhanced validation of RTO funding and assessment, transparency for consumers and policymakers through better information sharing, a more effective public system through structural support for CIT and better access for equity groups by building on the ACT government’s own entitlement measures with a national entitlement. As Canberra’s public VET provider, the CIT will be front and centre of these reforms. I want Canberra to be recognised as the nation’s learning capital, providing lifelong learning opportunities for all and ensuring a sustainable workforce and economy.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about workplace bullying. The ACT government provides a positive work environment for staff across all directorates, free from discrimination, harassment and bullying. If work bullying does occur, it needs to be recognised and appropriately responded to. Since the release of the WorkSafe report, the CIT improvement action group has overseen the development of a detailed scope of works for each element of the improvement notice.
CIT has also taken a systematic approach to implementing a ministerial direction, including the development of a master plan designed to optimise the potential for improvement of CIT’s policies, practices, systems and cultures. The plan focuses on the core elements of the ministerial direction and consolidates the 10 directives into four bodies of work: firstly, concluding the implementation of the action plan within the Centre for Tourism and Hotel Management, reviewing the policies and procedures in relation to the prevention of bullying and harassment, delivering training in bullying awareness and prevention across the organisation and building staff confidence in the complaints process.
CIT has invested significantly in meeting the requirements of the improvement notice and has complied with my direction in a comprehensive and timely manner, submitting 18 reports to date.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video