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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-09-22 Daily Xml
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Vocational Education and Training

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (14:53): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about the VET sector.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: Practitioners in the vocational education and training sector are required to develop training plans to deliver training to students, conduct assessments and keep abreast of trends in industry and best practice in training delivery. Can the minister inform the chamber about the effect of changes in the federal cabinet reshuffle on South Australia for the VET portfolio and its practitioners?

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) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. We are keenly aware of the need to powerfully connect vocational education and training to our economy, our learning institutions and especially to people's working lives. Across all our plans for a shift from our old economy to a new economy there is a common denominator, and that is VET. VET is absolutely a key enabler in our plan to create future jobs.

At this critical period of economic transition, we are more than ever reliant on the skills and productivity of our people. As the jobs we have today evolve, in the future we will see an increase in higher skilled occupations. We need to adapt to these future needs whilst still meeting our immediate needs for a readily accessible skilled and semi-skilled workforce.

VET is fundamental in preparing the future workforce to traverse the changing landscape and composition of the labour market here in South Australia. As a South Australian, Senator Simon Birmingham has taken a keen interest in ensuring that the VET sector and the training industry in South Australia maximises the benefits from investment opportunities such as the Industry Skills Fund. With the—

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: He is not very happy with you.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, I am not very happy with him either, in some respects. With the changes to the federal ministry, we hope these opportunities for South Australia will continue under the new minister, the Hon. Luke Hartsuyker, even though he is from New South Wales (we will not hold that against him). Here in South Australia we have some powerful imperatives for reform, and I am writing to minister Hartsuyker to outline South Australia's commitment to ensuring that South Australians have access to a high-quality vocational education and training system that will develop the skilled and adaptable workforce needed here in our state.

As I have said before, WorkReady brings together a range of training, employment and skills activity under one umbrella. It focuses on stronger connections between training and jobs and improved completion rates, which I have spoken about here today. WorkReady is integral to our plan for South Australia, our plan to transform our economy and, of course, to drive business, to drive prosperity and to drive jobs. It is also the platform upon which a more truly open and contestable VET system will be implemented, enabling us to continue the range of reforms outlined in the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform and beyond.

On the subject of VET on the national stage, I was honoured to present a keynote speech to the opening of the 2015 National VET Conference in Adelaide last week—over 1,000 delegates attended, and it was awesome; apparently it was the largest national VET conference ever held in Australia—and I outlined South Australia's vision for the VET sector. It was a fantastic opportunity to speak firsthand with practitioners about the need to transition and maintain our high standards of training through a combination of policies and direct training dollars to the right places at the right times, and practitioners who deliver best practice training methodologies and achieve high levels of student success in the courses. It is vital that practitioners are afforded those opportunities to share information.

I know that minister Birmingham has clearly stated he is keen to see through the federation discussions to ensure a stronger VET sector in the future, and I share that keen sense. This is an important discussion to have, as a healthy dialogue about federation between governments, employers, employees, educators and training providers will result in a more effective national VET sector. I look forward to continuing the conversation on a national approach to VET with both ministers Birmingham and Hartsuyker.

In South Australia, we look forward to working with the Prime Minister and his federal colleagues to advance our economy at this most important time. With the national partnership agreement expiring in 2017 it is an important juncture in the VET sector, and South Australia is ready, willing and able to work with the federal government to develop an agenda that will ensure our economy prospers into the future.

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