Letter to the editor of the Australian Financial Review
9 June 2004
I welcome the positive and informed input of John Hewson (AFR June 4) to the national debate about skilling Australians for a skilled Australia.
With international trade barriers falling and a looming decline in the productive workforce as baby boomers retire, it is a critical time to examine and act on our nation’s commitment to skilling.
ANTA is working with governments and industry to make training products and services more flexible and responsive to the changing needs of enterprises competing in an international marketplace. Australian employers have increased their investment in structured training — up 52 per cent from 1996 to 2001-2002 — and the 10 new national industry skills councils 
ANTA is forming will help expand this investment. Apprenticeships and traineeships continue to grow in numbers and range and almost 200,000 secondary school students are now undertaking skills education, including traditional trades, in their final years of school.
We should all increasingly recognise that all Australians should have opportunities to acquire and access skills in the way which suits their needs — whether it’s in university or vocational education. Either choice will allow them to maximise their individual wealth, dignity, and employability throughout their lives and ensure Australia’s sustained productivity improvement and economic prosperity.
David Hind
Chair
Australian National Training Authority Board