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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-09 Daily Xml
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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:49): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. This year, year 12 students around the state will be the first group to complete the new SACE. Will the minister please advise the house how the new SACE aims to better prepare students for their future?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:49): I would like to thank the honourable member for this very important question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Norwood!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Our year 12 students currently undertaking their SACE exams are the first to complete the new SACE, a SACE that I believe is at the cutting edge of providing all students with the best possible start for life after school. In fact, the SACE Board advises that industries in South Australia are picking up on the benefits of the new SACE, including the research project. For example, the defence industries have just announced scholarships for students entering year 11 in 2012 to undertake projects related to the defence industry, through the Advanced Technology Industry School Pathway program.

The need for senior schooling in tune with the demands of a changing world has also been echoed by the New South Wales Business Chamber, whose members, in recent articles in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph, have called for the New South Wales government to reform their state's Higher School Certificate. I am proud that this government had the foresight, many years ago, to review the SACE and introduce improvements that do just that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —because the new SACE builds on the current certificate, while recognising that we must broaden opportunities for more young people to keep them engaged in school or in training. Our economy, our community demand this.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: The combination of a tightening labour market and an increasingly highly skilled economy means that our economic success will, in part, depend on how well we keep our young people engaged with learning and training and how well prepared they are to engage in work. In the articles, the New South Wales Business Chamber is quoted as demanding that young people entering the workforce need higher levels of literacy and numeracy. The new SACE addresses this very issue by introducing—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —minimum standards in numeracy and literacy, a feature that was missing in the previous SACE.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: In addition, the new SACE is designed to encourage a greater number of students to stay on and complete year 12 by giving students a greater understanding of their future opportunities, a greater choice to study what interests them, and by providing transferable and practical skills.

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