Trainee and Apprentice Placement Service

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (15:24): Last week, I was delighted to represent the Minister for Higher Education and Skills at the Trainee and Apprentice Placement Service Awards of Excellence and their graduation ceremony. I was also joined by His Excellency, the Hon. Hieu Van Le. It was great to see him there. TAPS, as it is affectionately known, is a not-for-profit organisation that employs and supports the training of apprentices and trainees.

When I first arrived, I was really happy to realise that the Tony Mansueto on the function information sheet was in fact the Tony Mansueto who used coach my son's futsal team two or three years ago, so it was great to catch up with him. He and some of the other board members spoke highly of previous ministers, in particular the members for Colton and Newland, and they were also very pleased with the current minister.

More than 2,800 apprentices and trainees across South Australia are currently employed within the network of group training organisations that TAPS is part of. Since it was established in 1997, TAPS has made a significant contribution to skilling the South Australian workforce in various critical skills areas, particularly plumbing and rooftop plumbing. The main objective of TAPS at the time it was formed was to reverse this trend of falling numbers within the apprentice and trainee field, particularly in the critical skills areas of plumbing and rooftop plumbing. It now also supports trainees in the field of business administration.

This organisation is not unique, but it is notable in its connection to the building industry. It ensures that its apprentices have access to the latest thinking, to high-quality training and to industry development at a state and national level. In the plumbing and roofing industries alone, TAPS currently employs over 300 endorsed candidates, hosted across more than 100 host employers. Group training organisations like TAPS have historically had a strong commitment to the traditional trades, particularly through their focus on mentoring and supporting apprentices through the life of their apprenticeship. This commitment contributes to South Australia regularly achieving completion rates above the national average, I am told.

Group training organisations in South Australia employ more than 2,200 apprentices, which represents 23 per cent of all apprentices currently employed in South Australia. An advantage, of course, in working for a group training organisation is that apprentices have the opportunity to work with a number of different host employers, giving them greater exposure to different aspects of their chosen trade. In turn, employers, who may not have sufficient work to take on an employee for a full apprenticeship, are still able to host an apprentice to help them during busy times.

On the night, more than 50 apprentices and trainees graduated in their chosen field. I was pleased to hand out many certificate IIIs. They were joined by representatives of host employers and, of course, their proud families and friends. In my address, I observed to the graduates that, while I was there proudly representing the minister and the government, I am also the local member in Elizabeth, an area which, as we all know, is facing something of an upheaval in the employment and training landscape, which industry and government are working very hard to address.

I am also the Chair of the Northern Connector Jobs Taskforce. The Northern Connector, as you know, Deputy Speaker, is a project that has verifiable targets both for local employment and for the significant employment of local apprentices and trainees. At the last meeting I had, I heard that they were exceeding these targets. I will continue to work very hard to make sure that remains the case. The provision of good quality industry-based training is a subject which is always bubbling away below the surface. I am proud of the work the government is doing in this area and of some of the budget measures that will facilitate the building of a skilled, capable and work-ready workforce.

Through the WorkReady initiative, the government is working to ensure that South Australians have access to government-funded training in courses that support the state's priorities, meet industry needs and develop the latest skills and knowledge. To date, we have invested about $45 million in the building industry, supporting about 13,000 learners. I am really pleased that in the most recent budget the Treasurer announced that we would be increasing the very successful Job Accelerator Grant Scheme, which specifically targets apprentices and trainees.

The Job Accelerator Grant Scheme has already helped to create thousands of jobs and will now offer businesses up to an additional $5,000 for each new apprentice or trainee they employ, increasing the total grant on offer to up to $15,000. This is of course on top of the other job creating budget measures, particularly the $200 million Future Jobs Fund. I am rapidly running out of time, but I did want to mention some of the winners. Obviously I am running out of time, so I will leave it there and perhaps come back another time.