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Media Release
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST TRADE SKILLS TV SHOW
26 July 2007
Australia’s first Pay TV programme solely dedicated to promoting and celebrating the trades has been launched in Sydney.
SkillsOne Television will air on Foxtel on the Aurora Community Channel with content created by a diverse group of young film-makers committed to creating a wide ranging library of innovative and often humorous films, programmes and resources about the outstanding technical skills of Australians.
“SkillsOne Television will help raise the awareness and status of the trades at a time when the nation is facing a skills and labour shortage,” the Minister for Vocational and Further Education, Andrew Robb AO MP, said today.
The programme is run by the Institute for Trade Skills Excellence, an organisation set up by the Howard Government in 2004 with funding totalling $22 million over four years.
The Institute aims to promote and advance learning, teaching and training in Australian trades education.
The Institute is developing a star rating scheme which will recognise high performing training organisations by awarding a one, two or three star rating for quality trade training.
The Institute will also recognise excellence in teaching for skills and trade teachers through the Trade Teacher of the Year Awards which will be held in November.
Complementing the SkillsOne Television is a SkillsOne website at www.skillsone.com.au which is designed to create a home for anyone interested in or involved in the trade skills area.
“The SkillsOne Television programme will become the one stop shop for people looking for information about trades training in the vocational education marketplace,” Mr Robb added.
Last year the Howard Government spent a record $3 billion on Vocational and Further Education initiatives and over the last four years 534,000 people have completed apprenticeships compared with 30,900 people who completed apprenticeships in 1996.
SkillsOne Television will begin broadcasting on the Aurora Community Channel on Foxtel, Austar and Optus at 2pm on the 28 July 2007.
Media Contacts:
Minister Robb’s Office: Andrew Coombe 0438 777 145
Dept of Education, Science and Training: Media Unit 02 6240 7300
Non-media queries: 1300 363 079
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