Page 1103 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 25 March 2015
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In Canberra the TAFE system provides much-needed vocational pathways into work and further study options and opportunities for participation in our community. Nationally, more people attend TAFE than go to university, and let us not forget that it is the TAFE sector that plays a very big part in providing the core trade skills that keep our construction industry going—the plumbers, the electricians and the tilers.
In 2013 the National Centre for Vocational Education Research undertook a study called Student outcomes: Australian vocational education and training statistics. The study identified some significant feedback from TAFE students. Nationally, 87.5 per cent of TAFE graduates surveyed indicated that they were employed or in further study after training; 60.2 per cent of all TAFE graduates indicated they had improved their employment circumstances after completing their course; 83 per cent of TAFE graduates surveyed nationally indicated they fully or partly achieved their main reason for doing the training; and 88.4 per cent of TAFE graduates surveyed nationally indicated that they were satisfied with the overall quality of their completed training.
The satisfaction levels across students undertaking training with different objectives were very similar: satisfied with teaching, 90.4 per cent; satisfied with assessment, 89.9 per cent; and satisfied with the generic skills and learning experiences, 79.8 per cent. So by any standard, these are exceptional results.
As Minister for Children and Young People I recently launched “A step up for our kids”, the ACT government’s out of home care strategy for the next five years. One of the objectives of the new strategy will be to enhance the life chances of children and young people as a consequence of improved education and training outcomes.
Ms Porter’s motion highlights CIT’s consistent delivery of high quality courses and outcomes for its students. So I am confident that over the coming years CIT will continue to play a strategic role in assisting young people in our out of home care system to step up in their transition to adulthood and progress into further education and employment opportunities.
I reflect on Mr Rattenbury’s comments regarding electric vehicles and training in the CIT, as I had a bit to do with that in my last work endeavour. He is correct that we now have students coming from other states to train here at the CIT, but also on top of that the actual contract is for Nissan Australia. Nissan Australia, as a national body, is sending its students to Canberra to train up on electric vehicles. I think it is a fantastic result and a great opportunity for CIT to engage with those partners and to work collaboratively for the future in that particular field, which, as Mr Rattenbury said, is growing quite well.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank CIT and all its staff for the important contribution they have played in the economic and social life of our city, and I look forward to seeing CIT continuing to be a high quality provider of education and training.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Minister for Housing, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Multicultural
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