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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-09-22 Daily Xml
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WorkReady

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:46): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills in relation to WorkReady.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The South Australian unemployment rate is at its worst level in 20 years. I understand the government is relying heavily on programs that focus on job opportunities through improved skills. In a news release of 17 September 2015, the minister stated:

It remains a firm commitment of the state government to sustain a VET system that will help South Australians find their first job, their next job or start a whole new career.

The minister's policy transition from Skills for All to WorkReady appears to lack a sense of urgency. The processes required for the transition to WorkReady reflect this in the fact that the closing date for applications has been pushed back to 28 September 2015. This late date for applications to close has created concerns in the industry. The programs may not now commence until next year. My questions to the minister are:

1. Will the Jobs First component of your new WorkReady program be available for South Australians seeking training this year or will it now be delayed until 2016?

2. Given the critical need for training in South Australia and given our high unemployment levels, why has the closing date for applications been pushed back to 28 September?

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) (14:47): It is obvious that the opposition is completely out of touch with the VET sector, otherwise the Hon. Stephen Wade wouldn't come into this place and ask a question about date lines where the industry itself actually asked us to push out those dates. It was in response to the industry that the time frames were changed. We listened to industry and we listened to their needs. They said they needed more time to process their programs. We listened to them and, obviously, we were prepared to help them in every way that we could. That is why the Jobs First employment part of the program time frames were changed.

The Jobs First STL programs I understand were on time according to discussions with the industry and as we had indicated. That has all been processed and training providers have been made aware of those who have been successful and, obviously, those who have not been successful. So, again, a tick: we have done exactly what we committed to doing. What the Hon. Stephen Wade is right about, though, is that WorkReady is clearly focused on a much stronger link between training and industry and a much stronger link between training outcomes and real job outcomes. We have developed a WorkReady program that makes much stronger links in both respects.

We have also worked hard to ensure that we attempt to improve completion rates by requiring training providers to report on their completion rates and also to do better assessments of their students up-front so that we are more confident that they are actually placing the right person in the right place and identifying where a student might need some prerequisite or assistance with their literacy or numeracy skills before going on to enrol in a particular qualification. So, we have a much stronger link there.

In terms of this government rolling out its WorkReady program and associated VET programs around that, just recently I announced the employment programs metro funding. The DSD allocated $1.26 million to deliver 24 employment projects and services for more than 2,000 people across metropolitan Adelaide in 2015-16. These projects will result in around 900 people getting jobs—that is the anticipated outcome—and a further 1,105 people being better prepared for work or for further study. So, funding aligns with the state government's jobs and skills policy, Our Jobs Plan and our WorkReady skills as well, making sure that South Australia is the best place to do business.

These metropolitan employment projects will focus on a number of industries, including aged care, child care, retail, transport and agriculture. Career services will be provided in all metropolitan regions, providing jobseekers with tailored career guidance and advice on local industries and employment opportunities. People who are unable to gain work immediately will be transitioned into alternate employment pathways such as further education and training, work experience, career services or even something as simple as volunteering as part of the next step towards a pathway to employment.

Projects and services are delivered in partnership with the City of Onkaparinga, North East development agencies, Northern Futures and Western Futures as part of transition arrangements. So, the different regions received different amounts—I won't go into that. Again we see this government on the front of its feet, rolling out these programs, rolling out assistance to assist people to gain employment and develop career pathways.

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