Apprenticeships and Traineeships

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on how the state government is growing apprenticeships and traineeships across the state?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (14:34): Yes, I can.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: I am very pleased to receive this question from the member for MacKillop, a former apprentice himself and a man who knows the value of a vocational pathway—look where it has got him. The Marshall Liberal government is working to reverse the historical decline—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —in apprenticeship and traineeship commencements. Increasing the number of apprentices and trainees is a priority for this government and vital to meeting the skills required by industry, particularly in emerging sectors, and also ensuring young people's participation in the workforce.

It was terrific to open the Careers and Employment Expo on Friday. An interesting fact about that exhibition on Friday and Saturday is that school visits were up by 30 per cent. The message is finally getting out there after this government's engagement with schools, the private sector and businesses about the importance of apprenticeships. We are seeing more and more students interested in pursuing those options and exploring more about apprenticeships, but we need to do more. We need to do more to make sure that students and their parents know the value of apprenticeships and traineeships.

That is why I launched the state government's $1.6 million Skilled Careers—Your Passion campaign at that event. The advertising campaign aims to change community perceptions about apprenticeships and traineeships and highlight the exciting career opportunities that can be pursued. The campaign commenced on Sunday and will run to the end of the year. The campaign includes print media, social media and outdoor visual media, such as billboards and bus shelters.

The $1.6 million Skilled Careers—Your Passion advertising campaign is funded through the $203 million Skilling South Australia program. That is a key part of the national partnership with the federal government. The approach is backed by targeted market research. We went out there to establish just what those barriers were for kids looking at apprenticeships and traineeships and what those barriers were for parents encouraging kids to do that and the influences in their lives, like the teachers and others they spend their school years with.

A creative agency was appointed to deliver the campaign, a local agency and South Australian business, The Sideways Theory. The campaign creatively uses local actors to construct scenarios that represent the diversity and delivery of the message. It is another way we are supporting our creative industry sector right here in South Australia. We are getting absolute value for the taxpayer from this campaign and not only—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —selling a very strong message. The Training and Skills Commission released a report just 12 months ago that 82 per cent of the top 50 occupations in South Australia will require a vocational pathway to enter. What was the legacy that was left by those opposite? A 55 per cent drop in vocational education in the last five years and a $12 million cut in the last Labor budget to vocational education. We have a long way to go, but we have started the process and we are kicking some goals.