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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-16 Daily Xml
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DISABLED JOB SEEKERS

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills. Can the minister inform the house what the South Australian government is doing to support job seekers with a disability?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:53): I am very pleased to received this question from the member for Florey and I thank her for it. I am pleased to advise the house that 120 job seekers with a disability now have the opportunity to boost their skills and qualifications to transition into further training and work through the state government's $194 million Skills for All reforms.

The state government's Skills for All reforms aim to revitalise vocational education and training in South Australia. This initiative will help more people with disability participate in vocational education and training in areas with job opportunities, including retail, hospitality, business and warehousing. Participants will benefit from specialist support to complete certificate II level qualifications, with at least 78 people expected to move into higher qualifications or employment.

People with a disability studying at TAFE SA will access additional services, such as case management and learning support, to help them study in mainstream vocational education and training and go on to employment, in partnership with a Disability Employment Services case worker.

People with a hearing impairment will develop skills and confidence in digital literacy through a Certificate II in Information, Digital Media and Technology as part of the Forward IT program. This initiative received $600,000 through the federally-funded Productivity Places Program for Job Seekers, with the state government's South Australia Works, Adult Community Education with Commonwealth Disability Employment Services and Job Services Australia providers contributing specialist support.

We want to encourage more people than ever to enter training and to successfully complete that training and gain employment. Nothing is more critical to lifting the skills of South Australians and ensuring that people are job ready than investing in skills. This investment in job seekers with a disability also supports South Australia's Strategic Plan targets and the Social Inclusion Board's report Strong Voices: a Blueprint to Enhance Life and Claim the Rights of People with Disability in South Australia (2012-2020).

As our economy transforms we will be requiring a more highly-skilled workforce, so we will need to ensure that people have the right skills to participate in work and further training, and that means everyone. No-one can be left behind. People with a disability cannot be left behind. People who have not had work cannot be left behind. This needs to include everyone. I commend this program to the house for helping people with a disability to benefit from accredited training, which leads to job opportunities or further training.

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