Skills Training

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on how the government is supporting businesses and building confidence through a nation-leading training system?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (14:37): I thank the member for King for her strong interest and her promotion of vocational pathways in her electorate. Of course, there was some terrific news in the NCVER figures released this morning: a 7.6 per cent increase in the number of apprentices and trainees in training. We are the only state to record an increase of apprentices and training during the COVID period. Why is that? It's because we started our work early with reform of the training system here in South Australia.

Remember what it used to be like? There was a 19 per cent decline on commencements year after year after year, for six years from 2012, by those opposite. Of course, there was a system in disarray, wrecked by those opposite. We recognised that, and we started work on that process with a $200 million injection from the federal and state governments so that we could support employers to get behind—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the leader!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —apprentices and trainees. Let's look at the comparisons with other states. We have seen double-digit declines in other states when it comes to the commencements of apprentices and trainees here in South Australia.

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Of course, in the 37 categories—

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —that the NCVER reports on, we are number one or the best performing in 24 of those categories. Those categories include female apprentices and trainees. They include those of Aboriginal status. They include school-based apprentices, a 14 per cent increase in South Australia, the only increase in the nation. Other jurisdictions went backwards.

Of course, in diploma and certificate IV apprenticeships and traineeships we saw a combination of 66.8 per cent increase in those apprenticeships and traineeships—apprenticeships and traineeships that didn't exist at that level under those opposite.

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Wright!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: There is no doubt that the Minister for Education's reforms of TAFE are starting to pay off because we saw a 7.7 per cent increase in the training of apprentices and trainees through the TAFE institution here in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: And what do they say opposite? That the government is cutting TAFE. No, here is the evidence. This is the evidence—more outcomes where it matters coming out of TAFE.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: This is what we are seeing: 2,030 employers for the very first time have taken on apprentices and trainees under this government because we have engaged them, we have identified what their barriers to participating in apprenticeships and traineeships has been and we have worked with them to remove those barriers. We have put in more funding to work with those companies to remove those barriers. We have brought in enablers in order to do that.

This government has a strong focus on apprenticeships and traineeships and we have proven that our reforms that we started the minute we got into office are resilient and they are helping us through the COVID crisis. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia that can report today a growth in the number of apprentices and trainees in training. It's a great result for South Australian employers and a great result for the Marshall government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the member for West Torrens, I call to order the member for Chaffey, I call to order the member for Cheltenham, I warn for a second time the member for Wright and I warn the member for Lee.