Page 1332 - Week 04 - Thursday, 30 March 2017
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These key leading business sectors in Australia know what the states and territories know and what the commonwealth seems either to have forgotten about or is choosing to ignore: that continuity in VET funding is essential for industries across the country, in growing industries across the country, in industries where there are skills shortages—not even skills shortages now but skills shortages we can see coming in the future. For the commonwealth to have failed to have given any indication of continued funding for this essential national partnership focused on skills, focused on apprentices, beggars belief.
But, like my state and territory counterparts of all political persuasions, I will continue to work towards this goal of seeking additional funding and contribution, which has always been part of the commonwealth’s contribution to VET funding, because our VET sector deserves this certainty, because the industries relying on our VET sector deserve this certainty and, most importantly, for students who see this as an exciting opportunity for them to lead fulfilling professional lives, this is such a critical sector.
Labor will always support a well-funded VET sector that supports a wide range of students, whether it is refugees looking to contribute to our community, women looking to get into trades, or mature age Canberrans looking to reskill. We will support them through our VET sector and through our range of RTOs here in Canberra. We are also supporting young people to get into a trade.
Just a couple of weeks ago I was at the first CIT apprentice link event, which saw more than 120 young people meet with around 30 local employers eager to connect with staff. Tomorrow I will be attending the VET forum at EPIC with a number of RTOs and people interested in the VET sector to talk with them about how the VET sector in Canberra can improve, how it can meet opportunities that they see coming in their industry and how it can meet the needs of students.
I really do urge the Assembly to support this motion and, in particular, to stand with the government to ensure that the commonwealth understands the significance of not providing any pathway or any indication of funding beyond 30 June for RTOs, particularly the public providers like the CIT in the sector, but most importantly for those students in years 10, 11 and 12 who see exciting opportunities for them in a trade or in a vocational profession. They see the opportunities for them to study in Canberra, either at the CIT, one of the highest quality public TAFEs in the country, or at one of our many RTOs who deliver training to young builders, young carpenters, young hairdressers, young people or people seeking to reskill or upskill in the disability services sector, in the allied health sector, in the arts sector, across the community sector and across industry including construction, retail and our really important services sector.
Increasingly, we also see programs offered to fill key skills gaps that we know exist not only in Canberra but around the country, whether it is in new, exciting opportunities like the renewable energy sector or in cyber security. The VET sector has so much to contribute beyond what it already contributes to our country, to industries, and I find it surprising and pretty shameful that the commonwealth government has still yet to indicate any funding.
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