TAFE SA

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills. Can the minister inform the chamber about TAFE SA's new creative pathway strategy?

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) (14:42): I thank the honourable member for his very important question. South Australia has seen a steady growth in the creative arts industry, both in attendance and employment growth. Every year, more and more visitors from interstate and overseas come to our state for our many festivals and cultural events. To ensure a vibrant future for our creative arts industries, we need to give our workforce the training and skills they need to maintain and grow our reputation for the best creative and cultural events in the nation.

In 2013, the government worked closely with the Arts Industry Council of South Australia and Service Skills SA to identify the workforce needs of the creative and cultural industries in the state. The report identified that there are some gaps in the training system for our creative workforce, particularly in the areas of entrepreneurship, arts administration and the staging of creative events.

Our election commitments this year followed the report with a commitment to provide $200,000 per year for four years to shape vocational training courses that could build the skills of the creative workforce. As a result, TAFE SA's Adelaide College of the Arts, in close collaboration with Arts SA, the Arts Industry Council, Service Skills SA, Festivals Adelaide, Music SA—all of the major players in the industry—have developed a creative pathways strategy. This strategy maximises a value for money for the industry as a whole, catering to a broad cross-section of live performance, screen, media and music artisans.

As part of the new strategy, TAFE SA's Adelaide College of the Arts is developing three new training programs which will be delivered in flexible training blocks, including after-hours delivery. The first new course is Certificate IV in Arts Administration, a comprehensive qualification that will meet the identified skills shortage in non-technical and non-creative roles. TAFE SA engaged an industry specialist to develop this course to make sure it meets the needs of employers. This course will commence in February 2015 and is now open for enrolment.

The second important course that has been developed is the Skills for Creative Events course. Anyone who has attended one of the state's festival events will probably not be aware of the immense amount of organisation that goes on behind the scenes to make our public events run effortlessly. We have an excellent reputation for such events and it is important that we maintain and extend our pre-eminence in this field and, as a result, this course will have a particular focus on festivals and will include areas such as events, live production, technical production and stage management. Similar training in the past was so highly valued by employers that 86 per cent of participants gained employment. This course will also commence in 2015 and is now open for enrolment.

The third course under development is the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Creative Entrepreneurship. A key focus of any training and upskilling needs to be new income generation. We want to encourage our artisans and performers to start new companies and businesses that will be successful and help grow the industry. This course will include business development, marketing, finance, project and self-management, digital literacy and entrepreneurship skills. This strategy is a truly collaborative effort from our creative industries, especially at a time when there are challenges from other interstate festivals. We know the Eastern States are always snapping at our heels.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Trying to emulate us.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: That's right; trying to emulate us. We are justifiably proud of our state's reputation as the festival state. The creative pathway's strategy will provide many South Australians, including of course young South Australians, with the skills and passion to secure that reputation into the future.