TRAINING AWARDS

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (16:11): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education. Can the minister please tell the house how the government is supporting and celebrating excellence in the vocational education and training sector?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Workers Rehabilitation) (16:11): I would like to thank the honourable member for Mawson for his question. South Australia has a well deserved reputation for training excellence and innovation. Recently, I had the great honour of attending the 2011 SA Training Awards, where over 700 people celebrated the achievements of our apprentices and trainees, students, teachers, employers, training organisations and industry. It was good to see the member for Unley there. I always enjoy the company of the member for Unley, unlike some members on his own side.

Supported and sponsored by various groups from industry and business to training providers and the media, the awards are hosted by the South Australian Training and Skills Commission. A total of 11 award categories were offered for individuals and organisations. The individual awards included Trainee of the Year, Vocational Student of the Year, and Apprentice of the Year. The organisation awards include the Industry Collaboration Award, and Employer of the Year.

Importantly, these awards highlight the role that the vocational education and training sector plays in the maintenance and growth of our state's economic and social fabric. South Australia's future will depend upon the development of a highly skilled workforce, and the VET sector plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. It ensures that people have industry-relevant skills and it connects them with employers.

This government is committed to developing a high quality vocational education and training system, and this commitment has been shown through strong partnerships between schools, registered training organisations, higher education and industry. A streamlined and simplified training system, through the government's Skills for All policy, will strengthen the links between the education sectors, resulting in a clearer path from school to vocational education and training, and to higher education.

We need to make sure that our training system is flexible, that it is responsive, and that it is innovative. Through the economic activity of South Australia, opportunities for people are increasing, and a competitive choice-orientated training system gives South Australians the ability to pursue these great opportunities. South Australia's ageing population, with a whole generation on the brink of retirement, means we need to give young people the skills and knowledge to grab the reins and to steer South Australia's industries to a strong future.

Jobs are constantly changing and being created. We all understand that there will be jobs in the future that we do not even know about yet—that we cannot possibly have developed the training system for—and a strong component of the SA Training Awards encourages lifelong learning.

New technologies, methods and systems in the years ahead of us mean that, over time, workers will need to continually improve their knowledge and learn new skills. With South Australia's reputation for innovation and excellence, with young people such as those who attended the awards ceremony ready to take on employment, and with the South Australian government backing them with an excellent training system, South Australia will continue to grow and prosper.

The South Australian Training Awards lead on to the Australian Training Awards, this year being held in Brisbane in November. Each year, people from all over Australia compete to become the very best apprentice, trainee, vocational student, VET teacher, employer or training provider in the country, and I am pleased to see that South Australia will have exceptional representation, as we did last year.

There was a rather long list of award winners for 2011, so I will not mention them all, but they include: the Apprentice of the Year, Joshua Konc from Highbury; the School-Based Apprentice of the Year, Alexander Nikielski, who is currently attending St Patrick's Technical College at Elizabeth West, I think in the electorate of Napier; and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year, Kristal West, employed by the SA Ambulance Service.

I am very pleased to say that the Large Training Provider of the Year award went to TAFE SA Regional. Winning the award for the Large Training Provider of the Year is testament to TAFE's commitment to its regional students. As TAFE is committed to its students, so too is the government committed to TAFE. The government has invested almost $200 million in TAFE infrastructure right across the state, including new or refurbished buildings in Victor Harbor, Whyalla and Mount Gambier.

While investment in infrastructure is important, so too is investment in new initiatives, such as the state government's Skills for All reforms. Backed by a commitment of an extra $194 million in funding to create an extra 100,000 training places over six years, these reforms are far-reaching. They set out the future direction for our state and they will position South Australia's VET system for the years ahead to support people like those who received their awards on Friday night and their peers.