NATIONAL SKILLS WEEK

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna) (17:17): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills. What was South Australia's participation in National Skills Week?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (17:17): I thank the member for this question. Recently here in South Australia we celebrated National Skills Week with events and activities that were held right across the country to highlight the importance of vocational education and training. Many leaders from registered training organisations and students joined Mr Brian Wexham, chief executive of SkillsOne and director of National Skills Week; Mr Ish Davies of News Corporation, News Ltd; and Mr Jeff Gunningham, the new chief executive of TAFE SA, to acknowledge this very important week in South Australia.

I am very pleased to report that South Australia is leading the way in relation to vocational education and training, and I am very pleased that as a government we are working with communities, business and industry right across the state to support a more skilled workforce through our flagship Skills For All initiative. During National Skills Week we learnt that tens of thousands of South Australians have taken up the very important opportunity to improve their skills and, therefore, their employment prospects by enrolling in training courses through Skills For All. Preliminary figures show that over the last financial year enrolments were up by more than 44,000 compared to the same period a year earlier.

That is a 43 per cent increase in enrolments, from about 102,000, or thereabouts, in 2011-12 to just over 147,000 in 2012-13. The National Centre for Vocational Education Research shows that for the 2012 calendar year South Australia had the highest growth rate in vocational education and training in a number of areas, including the overall number of vocational students, the number of course enrolments and the number of subject enrolments. We have also seen an increase in enrolments in areas where there are skill shortages, like engineering.

This is so important for our economic future because we know that further education and skills open the door to greater employment opportunities and greater earning potential. For instance, we know the unemployment rate for people with high-level qualifications of, say, certificate III or above is much lower than that for people with certificate II or below. Indeed, the number of people in skilled occupations has grown by nearly 25 per cent over the past decade and that compares to growth of fewer than 7 per cent for unskilled jobs. I take this opportunity to thank all those associated with National Skills Week and congratulate all of those in our VET sector in South Australia.

The SPEAKER: I invite the member for Waite to ask an orderly question.