House of Assembly Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Skills Training Skills Training Mrs POWER House of Assembly Elder Skills Training Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is delivering training and job opportunities for South Australians? The Hon. D.G. PISONI House of Assembly Unley Minister for Innovation and Skills Skills Training The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (14:46): I thank the member for Elder for the question. Mr Hughes interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is called to order. The Hon. D.G. PISONI House of Assembly The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Not only does she have a strong interest in this because she shares the aspiration of her constituents but her husband, Brad Power, is a tradie and a heritage carpenter at that. I am advised that he is finishing some very detailed work in the restored GPO building in Victoria Square as we speak. When it is open to the public, you will be able to see Brad Power's work on full display. I am delighted to inform the house that the Marshall Liberal government is delivering under Skilling South Australia. We took to an election a bold commitment to create over 20,800 apprenticeships and traineeships in four years. We were the only party that took a skills policy to the last election—not those over there. The Liberal Party took a policy on skills to the election. In our first year, we have achieved almost 13,000 training commencements. This is a fantastic result, achieving 96 per cent of the Skilling South Australia target in our first year. Our $200 million Skilling South Australia program was launched in September last year to turn South Australia's training system around. We took to the election a clear commitment to fix South Australia's training system, a system we inherited in serious decline. Between 2012 and 2018, because of the cuts to skills funding and failed policies of the previous Labor government, commencements in South Australia of apprentices and trainees reduced by two-thirds or 66 per cent over that period, the worst drop in apprentice and trainee commencements in Australia. Under the Skilling South Australia program, we are delivering real outcomes. We have changed our policy settings, and we are rebuilding the foundations to stop and then reverse the downward trend. We are turning the training system around. We have placed industry at the heart of the training system, delivering eight new industry skills councils and revitalising the Training and Skills Commission. More than 700 South Australian businesses have taken on apprentices for the first time in the first 12 months of the Skilling South Australia program. That is a big step for businesses to do such a thing for the first time. It is not an easy task, but my department has been working with those businesses to encourage them to get on board with the government's program—700 businesses have chosen to do so for the very first time. We have already delivered more than 80 Skilling South Australia projects codesigned in partnership with businesses, industry and training providers. We are investing in the professional development of our training sector through a $4 million building capability framework, and our $1.6 million advertising campaign is shifting the perceptions of vocational education for students, parents and those who help students make their decisions. We are lifting the status of vocational education here in South Australia back to where it used to be. I am excited about the first year of Skilling South Australia, particularly the positive impact on students, employers and training providers here in South Australia. We are ensuring that South Australians have access to the right training now so they are ready to step into jobs today and enjoy rewarding careers into the future.