Training and Skills Commission

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Industry and Skills) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: I am very pleased to announce that the Marshall Liberal government has met our commitment to revitalise the Training and Skills Commission. This is a key component of our strong plan to boost training participation through apprenticeships and traineeships in South Australia. The Marshall Liberal government has achieved our goal to revitalise the Training and Skills Commission within the first 100 days of forming government.

The state government has received the voluntary resignations of all 10 ordinary members of the Training and Skills Commission to support the revitalisation. At my request, the chair has agreed to remain and steer the commission into the future. I thank the members for the extensive work undertaken in their roles on the commission to support training outcomes for our state. I particularly commend their early work to form Industry Priority Skills.

The state government is committed to delivering an industry-led training sector. We want training to align with real job outcomes here for South Australians. The Subsidised Training List, released on 24 May, was the first step. The renewed Subsidised Training List created an additional 4,000 funding places throughout the entire system in our state, that is, government and non-government. We continue to implement major reforms and make significant investments to boost training participation through a strengthened training system in South Australia.

The Marshall Liberal government has committed $100 million to secure matched funding from the commonwealth to support a range of initiatives that will create an additional 20,815 apprenticeships and traineeships over the next four years. A renewed Training and Skills Commission will be a key driver in meeting this target. Engagement with industry and employers to meet their needs to grow the number of apprentices is a crucial element of our approach. Our focus includes occupations in high demand, occupations with a reliance on skilled migration pathways, industries and sectors of future growth, trade apprenticeships, and apprenticeships and traineeships in regional and rural areas.

To increase training participation in South Australia, we will implement flexible apprenticeship pathways, establish a new technical college, design and implement Australia's first entrepreneurial curriculum for all schools and establish four entrepreneurial high schools, two in regional South Australia and two in metropolitan Adelaide. This is a first in Australia.

A revitalised Training and Skills Commission will drive positive reforms in pursuing the Marshall Liberal government's strong plan for change. Furthermore, the Marshall Liberal government is committed to re-establishing industry skills councils to ensure that industry has a stronger voice in TAFE, VET in schools, the Training and Skills Commission and directly to the highest levels of government decision-making.

We will reduce the duplication of effort, in consultation with industry and stakeholders, and give industry a clear voice in the development of government policy and investment decisions. To ensure that we get this right, we will listen to industry and work with them to shape the model. Depending on the feedback from industry, the government may seek to implement the new councils without legislative change.

I am pleased to announce that I will be shortly inviting industry stakeholders to engage government on the formation of the industry skills councils. Submissions will be welcome on the role, industry coverage and composition of the councils and on the role of the revitalised Training and Skills Commission. I will chair a series of industry round tables to explore options. To conclude the industry engagement, I will host a meeting of industry champions to agree on a model, which I plan to announce and begin implementing in August.