TRAINEESHIP AND APPRENTICESHIP SERVICES

42 Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (10 July 2007). How will the targeted proportion of apprentices and trainees completing their training be achieved in 2007-08 and what initiatives will be implemented?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Youth, Minister for Gambling): Improving the completion rate is a target of the 2006-08 DFEEST Strategic Plan and some initiatives are outlined below.

Traineeship and Apprenticeship Services (TAS) in DFEEST monitors completions against trades and vocations and assists Industry Skills Boards to develop industry specific initiatives.

In addition, the introduction of a competency based completion guideline on 1 January 2007, now allows apprentices/trainees who have completed an AQF qualification to complete their training contract prior to the nominal completion date, if their employer agrees that they are competent. The impact of the new guideline is not quantifiable (due to lags in commencements and completions) until the first or second quarters in 2008. TAS expects that this will serve to increase completions in vocations that have a traditionally high non-completion rate.

Additionally, TAS has also implemented a number of initiatives aimed at assisting completions, such as:

Advertising the TAS Service to employers and apprentices. Information Service staff and TAS Consultants provide advice and assistance to the parties to help preserve contracts that may be in jeopardy;

Providing a free and impartial mediation service to parties in dispute to help preserve training contracts;

Targeting employers who have a large number of expired training contracts (the term expired refers to contracts that have reached the nominal duration without the employer and apprentice/training advising TAS of the outcome);

Advising New Apprenticeships Centres electronically of the contract expiry date so that they can track outcomes for the purpose of paying DEST employer incentive completion payments. DEST completion payments are not made until TAS has received the completion confirmation. This provides an incentive for employers to notify TAS of the outcome of the traineeship/apprenticeship;

Notification of each employer and apprentice/trainee whose contract expired in 2007 of the changes to the completion guidelines. Employers and their apprentices/trainees who are due to complete in 2008 will shortly be advised by mail of the new guidelines.

One month prior to that date the employer and apprentice/trainee are again contacted and asked to complete and return an enclosed completion form to advise TAS of the traineeship/apprenticeship outcome; and

The new Drought Apprenticeship Retention Program which is designed to assist rural employers in drought designated areas to retain their apprentices. Assistance is in the form of a subsidy paid directly to the employer over the 2007-08 financial year. Employers who meet the funding criteria will be able to apply for $1,500 (two instalments of $750) for each apprentice employed under a contract of training.