Apprenticeships and Traineeships

In reply to Mr BOYER (Wright) (2 February 2021).

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills): I have been advised:

Despite the understandable impact of COVID-19 on the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships in our state and around the nation, South Australia leads the nation in the creation of new apprenticeships and traineeships.

Since 30 June 2018 the number of apprentice and trainee commencements in South Australia has increased by 8.0 per cent when compared to the year to 30 June 2020. This is the only percentage increase in the nation and compares to the national decline of 16.7 per cent for the same period.

That outstanding result stems directly from the Marshall government's Skilling South Australia program.

Since announcing Skilling South Australia in September 2018, the Marshall government has turned an ailing training system around, achieving more than 33,000 commencements as at 31 January 2021.

This is in stark contrast to the devastated training system presided over by the former state Labor government which delivered a jobs-destroying decline of 71.7 per cent in training commencements over six years from 30 June 2012.

On average over this period the annual percentage decline was 18.9 per cent. This was the largest percentage decline in the nation.

Despite laying waste to the training system Labor did not even bother to take a training and skills policy to the March 2018 state election.

Modelling shows that with a scenario of no policy change apprentice and trainee commencement numbers would have declined to just 3,500 by June 2022.