APPRENTICES AND TRAINEES

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills. Can the minister inform the house about the government programs to assist South Australians to enter apprenticeships?

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Norwood, order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:15): I am pleased to advise this place that more than 200 young South Australians will gain skills that could lead to an apprenticeship through the $1 million Kickstart training program. Funding to the Kickstart training program will support the delivery of 15 pre-apprenticeship training courses across South Australia. This program aims to increase the number of young people taking up trade apprenticeships in areas of demand, including plumbing, electro-technology, engineering, carpentry and commercial cookery.

This program provides a great opportunity for school leavers to get some skills in a trade area as a kickstart towards an apprenticeship and a career in one of these key trades. This program will provide participants with more than 300 hours of accredited training that is aligned with targeted apprenticeships, along with case management support and mentoring, career information and guidance, as well as literacy and numeracy assistance, when required.

Training will be provided by the following registered training organisations: the Adelaide Training and Employment Centre at Ottoway and Lonsdale, providing three engineering courses; Hospitality Group Training in the Adelaide CBD, providing three hospitality pathways courses; Peer Veet at Albert Park, providing two plumbing courses and four electrical courses; and the North East Vocational College at St Agnes and Port Lincoln, providing three construction pathways courses. The initiative complements the state government's Skills for All reform which aims to raise the overall skill levels of South Australians and get more people into training and jobs.

Under Skills for All from July, certificate I and II level courses, prevocational courses and accredited foundation courses to improve reading, writing, numeracy and computer skills will be fee-free, with no course fees. In addition, courses determined by the state government to be in a critical priority skills area in South Australia will also be fee-free, also with no course fees.

If South Australians want more information about the pre-apprentice Kickstart program or apprenticeships, they should contact the trainee and apprenticeships hotline on 1800 637 097. We know that South Australians in apprenticeships have good employment prospects, with the skills needed for high-demand jobs now and into the future.