Page 3759 - Week 10 - Thursday, 14 September 2017
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We have recently changed our apprenticeship policy to broaden eligibility to include refugees and asylum seekers who hold temporary and bridging visas with working rights. Additionally, the ACT government also removed the limit on the number of funded traineeships and apprenticeships an individual can access over the course of his or her life. We are also working to improve access for individuals and particularly for mature-age workers. Through these changes we have seen the number of students commencing an apprenticeship in the ACT increase by over 25 per cent.
It is also important that our VET system is there to support people who would otherwise struggle to participate fully in the mainstream job market—people in our community who may come from disadvantage or those that have disengaged from the system for one reason or another. I am pleased to say that we have in place a range of strategies to ensure the opportunity for engagement and participation in VET. I speak of people in our community, particularly people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, women returning to work after long absences caring for family, mature-age workers and older Canberrans, youth at risk, the unemployed and underemployed—all are addressed.
Both the skilled capital and the Australian apprenticeships programs provide additional funding support for services for students with identified needs and fee concessions to address barriers to participation. We also help registered training organisations support these students.
Our regulatory framework is also important. The standards for the delivery of training, which form part of the ACT quality framework, require RTOs to complete pre-training assessments of apprentices and trainees and arrange for additional support should they need it. In addition, students holding a health care or pension concession card or demonstrating genuine financial hardship are eligible for a fee concession under the skilled capital and apprenticeships programs.
How VET interacts and works with employers is also critical, as both Mr Steel and Mr Wall have noted. In that regard the work-based learning model is a really important aspect of delivery, supporting new workers with both technical knowledge and hands-on industry experience. The significant value that employers place on the skills and experience gained through work-based training is demonstrated in the recent moves to provide support for work placement opportunities in the higher education sector.
If we think about the jobs of the future, the work-based training model is also critical. The ACT government is an active supporter and participant in a current higher apprenticeship pilot being led by PricewaterhouseCoopers nationally. Higher apprenticeships combine higher level vocational qualifications—diplomas and advanced diplomas—and on-the-job training. Higher apprenticeships can be an attractive pathway for school leavers who do not wish to go to university, who want to earn and learn. Higher apprenticeships can also provide a valuable opportunity for existing workers to upskill and progress their career.
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