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Media Release
$837 MILLION NATIONAL SKILLS PACKAGE BRINGS OPPORTUNITY TO THOUSANDS OF AUSTRALIANS
12 October, 2006
The Australian Government’s Skills for the Future package announced today by the Prime Minister, the Hon. John Howard MP, will give thousands of Australians the option to expand their skills base and expand their job opportunities, the Australian Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP said.
Worth $837 million over five years, Skills for the Future will strengthen the skills base of Australia, especially of those already in the workforce.
“This package builds on an already record level of investment which is delivering record numbers of people training. This will strengthen the foundation of Australia’s workforce skills, and with it strengthen the Australian economy and ensure the prosperity we are experiencing continues for decades to come,” Mr Hardgrave said.
The $3000 Work Skills vouchers will provide a great opportunity for people aged 25 years with ambitions to get the basic skills they need to succeed in their jobs and a head start in the workplace. From January 1, 2007, 30,000 people a year will benefit from this initiative - this means 150,000 Australians over five years.
“This is symbolic, as 30,000 is the number of people who were dropped from the training system overnight when Kim Beazley was Training Minister in 1993, during ‘the recession we had to have’,” Mr Hardgrave said.
New financial incentives will also help more Australians to take up a trade apprenticeship mid-career and to see an apprenticeship as a more attractive and financially rewarding option.
“There are many Australians looking to improve their job prospects, who perhaps hadn’t considered an Australian Apprenticeship. The Australian Government is keen to see them have a go and fulfill their potential and ambitions,” Mr Hardgrave said.
Employers wanting to support their staff to upskill, will benefit from a further extension of the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Programme.
A range of new Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications will be included, particularly in engineering, along with a relaxation of eligibility requirements which have previously excluded current employees and some people with existing vocational qualifications.
The Skills for the Future package also includes support for Australian Apprentices to help them gain the necessary skills to run their own businesses.
“This is real value-add and will help young Australian Apprentices see the natural extension from a working in traditional trades, to running a small business,” Mr Hardgrave said.
Mr Hardgrave echoed the Prime Minister’s call to the States and Territories to invest in workforce education and training to complement the Commonwealth’s initiatives.
“The Australian Government is already delivering a range of initiatives and this new investment of $837 million over five years adds to an already record investment,” Mr Hardgrave said.
“Today’s announcement further underlines this Government’s commitment to skilling Australia and giving Australians the opportunity to learn a trade no matter what their age or walk of life.”
The state and territory governments, NOT the Australian Government, are responsible for managing TAFEs, nevertheless Jenny Macklin should note that unmet demand has halved since the Howard Government was elected in 1996.
In 1995, about 89,300 individuals applied for but were unable to gain a place to study in a vocational education course – 69,400 of these were seeking access to a TAFE place. By 2005 this number had declined to 45,000, with the number seeking a place at TAFE at 34,200.
The Australian Government is delivering a range of initiatives during 2006 to 2009, and today’s announcement brings this Government’s investment to more than $11.5 billion, the biggest commitment to vocational and technical education by any government in Australia’s history.
For more information on Skills for the Future go to www.pm.gov.au.
Minister Hardgrave’s Media Adviser: Nikki Voss 0402 896 100
Dept of Education, Science and Training: Media Unit (02) 6240 7300
Non-media queries: 1300 363 079
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