HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-29 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Vocational Education and Training

Ms HABIB (Elder) (15:16): My question is to the Minister for Industry and Skills. Will the minister please outline to the house the benefits of the new subsidised training list?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Industry and Skills) (15:16): In a nutshell—but I will expand on the detail—jobs, jobs and opportunity for South Australians. The Marshall government's delivery on its election commitments to update the subsidised training list represents a significant boost to skills training here in South Australia. Fixing the subsidised training list is a key election commitment under the Skilling South Australia strategy to ensure transparency and accountability of government investment in skills and to increase funding contestability between TAFE SA and non-government training providers.

Around $20 million will be invested in new training activity for non-government training providers in 2018-19. This is an increase of around $5 million from the actual expenditure in the previous year. Critically, there are now more than 4,000 additional training positions in the entire system here in South Australia. Almost 250 courses will now be accessible to non-government training; that is an extra 1,700 training places. Just in case those opposite have missed it, of the 4,000 additional training places, 1,700 are in the non-government sector, which means 2,300 are in TAFE.

So we are seeing more opportunities in TAFE through the government dealing with the subsidised training list that has been neglected by the previous government for years and years, which has seen less choice and less opportunity for South Australians. It has also seen a dramatic decrease in the number of South Australians in apprenticeships and training in the last five years: around 25,500 in training in 2012, whilst the latest figures for 2017 are 15,500, a shocking indictment of the work of those opposite and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in particular.

This new funding arrangement represents a 21 per cent increase in the courses open to contestability, covering defence, agriculture, health, construction and ICT. The number of new places accessible to non-government providers has increased by 34 per cent, to 6,750 places. This is in addition to the 12,570 places available through TAFE SA.

Two new qualifications will be added to the subsidised training list: Cert IV in Cyber Security and Cert III in Engineering—Composites Trade. The subsidised training list details the training courses that the government will subsidise in TAFE and non-government sector training providers from July to September of this year. The focus on the subsidised training list 4.0 has been on greater alignment to industry needs, more places in courses for non-government providers, greater engagement with stakeholders and improved transparency.

The list has been informed by workplace modelling undertaken by the Training and Skills Commission as well as industry feedback, which included an engagement process I instigated in April and May 2018 of more than 125 stakeholders through an online survey and facilitated workshops. In addition to the qualifications on the list, the government can, through a submission, subsidise any qualification or national skill set where there is a strong link to industry demand and real job opportunities in South Australia.

Over the coming months, the department will be developing the next steps to fixing the subsidised training in this commitment for my approval. This work will support the delivery of related election commitments, including the establishment of a skills industry council and a revitalised training and skills commission which will deliver a training priorities plan to inform future iterations of a subsidised training list. The subsidised training list will fund over 3,000 new training places in direct care qualifications. Of course, this is very important for the NDIS rollout. It is a very exciting time for training, opportunities and jobs here in South Australia.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT