Page 653 - Week 02 - Thursday, 18 February 2016
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report—February 2016, dated 18 February 2016, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.
I move:
That the report be noted.
In relation to this report, my earlier remarks are still very much relevant. I apologise to all those who came before the committee or submitted to it that this is an interim report. The committee was interested to see the results of an audit by the Australian Skills Quality Authority into the electrotechnology department of the CIT. This report goes directly to the CIT and not to this committee. However, members of the committee believe that the work on this inquiry remains unfinished until they are able to view this report. Therefore, the report I table today is an interim report. The committee has stated its desire to have this report tabled by the minister when available so it is able to examine it.
As my work as chair of this committee comes to an end, I know that the work on this inquiry will go on. The reason why electrotechnology training is of so much interest is because an RTO, which formerly trained in this area in the ACT, ceased its operations. As the CIT was the only deliverer of such training in this area, it was left to pick up the ACT apprentices. They were transferred to the CIT. There was a large number of these apprentices and CIT had no choice but to take on the training of those students and help them complete their qualifications.
The CIT was not ready or resourced at the time to take on such a large influx of students, especially into one specific area of the school. The school did respond and responded well. However, there was a time when the influx was very difficult to manage, and that was apparent. We are fortunate to have fewer issues in the ACT in relation to training and RTOs than in the other states and territories that we heard about during the inquiry.
I commend the interim report and its recommendations to the minister and thank all, again, who contributed to this inquiry, especially, of course, my long-suffering committee members. We went through various committee members to get to this point. I also would like to thank the secretary—I think there was more than one secretary during this particular period—and also the committee office. I commend the report to the minister.
MR DOSZPOT (Molonglo) (4.39): I welcome the opportunity to speak on this interim report of the education, training and youth affairs committee. However, before I go to the report itself I would like to place on record my sincere appreciation and thanks to the committee’s retiring chair, Ms Mary Porter. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Porter for the valuable work she has given to the Assembly through her committee work and to the wider community. I have always enjoyed working with her. I have appreciated her professionalism and her dedication.
Naturally, coming from opposite sides of the chamber, there were times when we disagreed, and this interim report is regrettably one of those occasions. However, as
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