Page 4147 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 18 November 2015
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(2) congratulates all ACT nominees at the Australian Training Awards; and
(3) calls on the ACT Government to continue to:
(a) enhance the VET sector through reform and collaboration; and
(b) keep the Assembly informed of progress across the VET sector.
I am very pleased to be able to move this motion today on vocational education and training in the ACT. As we recently heard from the minister, many advances have been made in this sector. As some of you may know, tomorrow night the national training awards will be held in Hobart to recognise excellence in Australian apprenticeships and traineeships. These awards recognise not only learners but also the employers and trainers who give them the tools to excel. The training awards provide an opportunity to showcase the strengths of vocational education in Australia and to promote apprenticeships and traineeships as viable pathways for all students.
Last year the ACT punched well above its weight at the national training awards: Sally Moylan won the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student of the year award; Eylish Perry won the Australian school-based apprentice of the year award; Just Better Care Canberra won the Australian apprenticeships employer award; and Berwyn Clayton, a pioneer in research in the VET sector who started her career with 24 years of service at the Canberra Institute of Technology, won the lifetime achievement award. I wish the current ACT finalists the best of luck tomorrow.
The ACT is served by a high quality vocational and education training system. The performance of the ACT at last year’s national awards should indicate to us all how strong our VET sector here is in the ACT. We all know about the fantastic work being done by more than 100 VET providers eligible to deliver government funded training in the ACT. This includes private providers, schools delivering VET, and CIT, our public and largest training provider.
The ACT’s small size gives us considerable advantages; we are able to engage employers and other stakeholders quickly and effectively and are able to deliver the training needs our local employers will need into the future. Our close links with employers are vital to ensuring our VET sector is able to provide the training necessary to grow our economy and create the jobs of the future.
Indeed, earlier this year it was announced that CIT will soon provide brand new qualifications at bespoke training facilities in renewable wind technology. This will help establish the ACT as the premier knowledge and education hub of this emerging field in Australia, and it will fill a market gap when it comes to maintaining and operating renewable wind technologies. Wind energy will play a key role in the ACT’s meeting its target of sourcing 90 per cent of Canberra’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and this new CIT training qualification means Canberra can be at the forefront of the renewable energy sector, leading on policy and leading when it comes to equipping our young people with the skills needed for our future workforce.
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