Literacy and Numeracy

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:18): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question relating to literacy and numeracy in our schools.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: It has recently been reported that several hundred senior high school students are failing to pass basic literacy and numeracy requirements, as outlined in the SACE certificate. Therefore, my questions are:

1. What effect is this poor literacy and numeracy having on the economy, the unemployment rate and the higher education sector?

2. What is the government doing to tackle this alarming statistic, both pre and post school leaving?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:19): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. His questions should really go to the Minister for Education and Children's Services, minister Close, who is responsible for junior and secondary school education, so I am happy to refer those questions to her.

In terms of issues to do with training and employment, there are a number of employment programs that we have in place that particularly focus on assisting those people with literacy and numeracy deficits, as well as digital literacy deficits. What those employment programs hope to do is to partner with industry and employers to help fill skills necessary to go on to successfully obtain employment.

There is, for instance, the ACE (Adult Community Education) Foundation Skills Program. That program involves a community learning gateway for people to improve their foundation skills: literacy, numeracy, digital literacy and employability skills. $11.7 million has been committed to Adult Community Education between 2010 and 2016 and it is estimated that this will culminate in over 110,000 people participating in accredited and non-accredited training since 2005-06.

In 2014-15, a three-year ACE funding model has been implemented in response to the sector's proposal for a multiyear funding model, and the new funding approach for 60 per cent proven providers will assist ACE providers to plan for longer-term support and security of tenure, and help improve services to the community.

There is also an Aboriginal employment and training program that applies quite unique and innovative approaches to help increase the number of Aboriginal people in employment, and particularly address those who have literacy and numeracy deficits. There has been an investment of $13.5 million in training and employment initiatives for Aboriginal people in 2013-14. There has been the formation of seven Aboriginal employment industry clusters, involving advanced manufacturing; community services; energy, water and resources; hospitality; professional services; retail; and the South Australian public sector. Each cluster is led by a senior industry champion and helps address the underrepresentation of Aboriginal people.

Jobless Families is another program that helps build family opportunities which provides professional and practical whole-of-life services that look at the whole family situation to particularly help break the cycle of long-term intergenerational joblessness that we know is often linked with poor literacy and numeracy rates. $2 million was allocated to deliver the program in Playford from 2013-16 for 350 jobless families.

UnitingCare Wesley started delivering the program from January 2014, and I am advised that already 90 families are being assisted. There have been 98 training commencements and 54 people have gained employment, which is a very good outcome. There are also mature age employment programs and retrenched workers programs. All of those which we currently fund are able to address issues of literacy and numeracy where they occur.