Skills Training

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on the Report on Government Services in relation to skills and training?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (15:06): I thank the member for Heysen for his continued interest in vocational education here in South Australia. There's no doubt that the Marshall Liberal government is rebuilding the state's training system. It was left to go to rack and ruin under those opposite.

We are building through our increased targeted investment in vocational education and training, and already we have seen significant increases in the number of apprentices participating in VET. In fact, many of our improvements have been nation leading. The targeted spending of the Marshall government's $200 million Skilling South Australia program is now starting to turn the system around.

The government has increased funding to both TAFE and non-government VET providers. Our key focus is delivering the skills that industry needs to create real, longstanding jobs here in South Australia. The latest data from the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services reports that the Marshall government has delivered the highest boost to skills funding in the nation in our first year in office. Our increased investment and our reforms have boosted non-government and TAFE training providers and delivered improved employment outcomes for students.

Highlights for South Australia include an additional $54.3 million in state government recurrent funding (a 38.1 per cent increase) in 2018, our first year in government, compared to Labor's last year in office. Non-government providers were supported by an additional $11 million (a 28 per cent increase) compared to Labor's last year in office—the largest increase in the nation in percentage terms spent on vocational education. We are leading the nation when it comes to investment in skills and training.

Seventy-four per cent of government-funded VET graduates between the ages of 20 and 64 improved their employment status after training in 2019. This is 10 per cent above the national figure. This is in stark contrast to the former Labor government's shocking legacy and record in skills training. VET commencements plunged by an unacceptable 66 per cent over a six-year period under the Labor government—this is the last six years of government—and they had given up to such an extent that they didn't even take a skills policy to the last election.

We went into the last election with a sacked CE of TAFE, a sacked chair of TAFE and two investigations into the management of TAFE. Less than two years later, we are now seeing a revitalised TAFE: we are seeing more enrolments in TAFE, more enrolments in the private sector and more investment in vocational education. We are rebuilding the state's training system, as the industry has asked for. We are doing that by talking to industry, engaging with industry and asking them, 'Where are the needs? What are the skills you need to generate real, lasting careers here in South Australia for South Australians?' We are working with them to deliver those.