Australian employers are pivotal to the continuing success of the Australian Government’s apprenticeships programmes and their continuing commitment and enthusiasm deserves national recognition.
The Minister’s Awards for Excellence for Employers of Australian apprentices celebrate the crucial role Australian employers play in initiating and supporting training and career development in their local communities through the hiring of apprentices.
The Australian Government Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP would like to invite all employers of apprentices - regardless of whether they employ 1 or 1000 apprentices - to consider nominating for these prestigious Awards for 2006.
Nominations for the 2006 Minister’s Awards for Excellence for Employers of Australian apprentices are now open. Employers from all industries are welcome to apply for these Awards. Applicants will need to meet certain eligibility criteria and complete the official application form 
.
Winners of the 2006 Minister’s Awards for Excellence receive a cash prize of $5000 and an invitation to a Gala presentation dinner, hosted by the Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP, where he will present winners with their Award. This year, the Gala presentation dinner will be held in Sydney in September.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 12th May 2006.
Further information regarding the 2006 Minister’s Awards for Excellence for Employers of Australian apprentices, including eligibility criteria, information on the twenty two regions, guidelines for applicants, selection panels and the Gala Presentation Dinner is available on the application form. For any further information, please contact Tanya George at DEST on 02 6240 7929.
Following a recent change to DEWR’s Migration Occupations in Demand List, the Tools for Your Trade initiative and the Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship have been extended. Australian Apprentices who commenced in an Australian Apprenticeship on, or after, 28 March 2006 in one of the additional trades may now be eligible for the Tools For Your Trade initiative and the Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship.
These initiatives were among a number announced during the 2004 election campaign that aim to alleviate the financial burden on Australian Apprentices, particularly those in trades experiencing skills needs.
The Tools For Your Trade initiative provides a tool kit worth up to $800 to Australian Apprentices who commenced on, or after, 1 July 2005 in a qualification leading to an eligible skills needs trade as of 1 July 2005 and who have completed three months of their Australian Apprenticeship.
The Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship provides two tax exempt $500 payments to eligible Australian Apprentices at the end of each of the first and second years of their Australian Apprenticeship. The Scholarship is paid to those Australian Apprentices who started their Australian Apprenticeship on or after 1 July 2004 and who successfully complete the first year of their Australian Apprenticeship on or after 1 July 2005. This initiative is to encourage Australian Apprentices employed by small and medium sized businesses to remain in trade related Australian Apprenticeships in vocations where there are skills needs.
The list of trades eligible for both initiatives is taken from the Trades Persons section of the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL). The MODL is based on detailed labour market research and analysis undertaken by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). This research, which includes consultation with employers and peak industry bodies, is updated on a six monthly basis to ensure the MODL is responsive to the needs of the labour market.
The MODL was extended on 28 March 2006 to include 16 additional trade occupations which have been identified by DEWR as being in national demand and with good employment prospects. There are now 42 trade occupations included on the MODL. The trades added to the Migration Occupations in Demand List are:
- Pressure Welder
- Vehicle Body Maker
- Lift Mechanic
- Carpenter
- Joiner
- Roof Slater and Tiler
- Wall and Floor Tiler
- Stonemason
- Floor Finisher
- Gasfitter
- Drainer
- Roof Plumber
- Mechanical Services and Air-conditioning Plumber
- Baker
- Boat Builder and Repairer
- Flat Glass Tradesperson
It is expected that an additional 12,000 Australian Apprentices will now benefit from the extension of both initiatives.
For more information on the Tools For Your Trade initiative, call 1800 557 875 or visit http://www.toolsforyourtrade.com.au/ .
Further information on the Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarship and Australian Apprenticeships is available on http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/ or by calling 13 38 73.
The next meeting of the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education is scheduled to take place on 9 June 2006 in Hobart.
On 10 February 2006, Council of Australian Governments (COAG) announced as part of its skills reform agenda an Action Plan which identified five areas of focus:
- the commitment to quality training
- a more mobile workforce to help meet skill needs
- a more flexible and responsive training system
- targeted responses to skill shortages in regions
- next stages of VET reform
The key focus of the meeting will be the training sector’s response to, and implementation of, the COAG skills reform agenda. This will include consideration of a report to COAG by December 2006 on future VET reform issues. Issues to be considered in this report will include;
- the growing need for higher level skills
- cultural and workplace change to lift educational participation and attainment
- possible reforms to funding and other mechanisms to make the training system more responsive to demand
- options to increase Australia’s investment in vocational education and training
- enhancing user choice through meaningful and timely performance information
- more appropriate regulation of education and training providers, and
- building stronger relationships between firms and training providers.
Other issues to be considered include reports of two current reviews, the review of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research and the review of infrastructure funding of vocational and technical education.
The chair of the Council is the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP, Minister for Vocational and Technical Education with membership of the Council comprising Australian Government and the State and Territory Government Ministers responsible for vocational and technical education.
The Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education has overall responsibility for the new national training system, including strategic policy, priority setting, planning and performance, and key cross sectoral issues impacting on the training system.
The next meeting of the National Senior Officials Committee, which provides support to the Ministerial Council, will be held on 5 May 2006 in Melbourne.
11-13 October 2006 - Cairns Convention Centre
This conference is a networking opportunity to explore:
- National and International issues in education and training
- Transitioning from school to work and further education
- Vocational, technical, enterprise and career education issues
- Indigenous education and training
- Partnerships
- Flexible learning
- Changing nature of schooling
Delegates will choose from over 50 VET practitioner presentations, share and gather information at community of interest workshops, and interact with VET leaders in panel sessions. The latest research in vocational and technical education will also be presented at the Research Forum. Industry tours will include visits to the Great Barrier Reef and the Tropical Rainforest. Young people will be demonstrating their work as part of the Formula One Challenge – Re-engineering Australia projects.
Registrations are now open at www.vetnetwork.org.au
For general conference inquiries telephone Business Liaison Association on 07 4047 6451 or email cairnsconference@bla.org.au
For national inquiries contact VETnetwork Australia at vetnetwork@bigpond.com or telephone 07 3254 1431.
The New Apprenticeships Access Programme (NAAP) has been funded by the Australian Government since 1996. NAAP provides clients with pre-vocational training, support and assistance to obtain and maintain a New Apprenticeship, full or part time work, or continue with further education or training.
DEST currently has contracts with 11 brokers to deliver programmes to 9,500 disadvantaged jobseekers at over 150 sites across Australia. This includes the recently contracted additional 5,000 places allocated as part of the 2004 election commitment.
Contracts for the base 4,500 places commenced in June 2002 and intake of commencements ceases in April 2006 with delivery of all remaining services under these contracts ceasing in April 2007.
DEST is currently seeking tenders for contracts for the base 4, 500 places. Successful tenderers will be contracted for a period of two years, with a possible one year extension.
Tenders close on 21 April 2006, followed by an assessment period. Contracts will be in place with New Brokers from 1 July 2006.
A new website has been launched to help people needing Australian Apprenticeships job and training information. From staff in Australian Apprenticeships Centres to employers, job candidates, students, parents and careers advisors in schools, all are able to quickly find potential Australian Apprenticeships job outcomes that include a sample of the training that could apply to the occupation.
The Australian Apprenticeships Job Pathways website (http://www.najobpathways.com.au/ ) is a DEST funded resource that has been developed from the popular Australian Apprenticeships Training Information Service website. Feedback from a variety of Vocational and Technical Education stakeholders has been part of this development.
The Australian Apprenticeships Job Pathways website provides overview and detailed information. Job Pathway Charts give an industry-wide picture of the potential job progression people can achieve, starting with an Australian Apprenticeship. Job Descriptions use Training Packages to provide a sample of the training content relevant to specific Australian Apprenticeships occupations.
Both the Job Pathway Charts and Job Descriptions can be printed out on demand or emailed directly from the site.
Additionally, Job Descriptions can be ‘customised’ with an organisation’s logo and a message before printing or emailing.
These features provide an effective communication tool for organisations dealing with client groups such as employers, job candidates, school career advisers, students, Regional Industry Career Advisers and Local Community Partnerships.
The Australian Apprenticeships Training Information Service continues to provide detailed Australian Apprenticeships marketing information aimed mainly at Australian Apprenticeships Centres and Registered Training Organisations. The site has become a key resource in the VTE sector having received nearly 1 million page hits over the last 12 months. In February 2006, over 1,500 ‘Australian Apprenticeships Sample Training Programs’ were viewed on the site each day.
For more information go to www.najobpathways.com.au, www.natinfo.com.au, or call the Australian Apprenticeships Training Information Service on 1800 338 022.
On 15 July 2005, the first group of successful proponents to establish and operate Australian Technical Colleges was announced by the Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, Gary Hardgrave MP. In the seven months since that announcement a lot has been achieved.
At the beginning of the 2006 school year four Colleges opened their doors to students. Colleges in Eastern Melbourne, Gladstone, Gold Coast and Port Macquarie commenced operations and welcomed their first students. The College in Northern Tasmania will be the next to open in the middle of this year.
At the College in Eastern Melbourne, two campuses, Ringwood Secondary College and St Josephs in Ferntree Gully deliver flexible trade training to mechanics, chefs, cabinet makers and electricians of the future.
The industrial town of Gladstone in Central Queensland is already benefiting as the College unites industry and education and training providers to fill the gaps in the skills that are in demand, particularly in the metals and engineering and the electrotechnology trades.
The College on the Gold Coast is assisting to meet the huge demand for skills the region is experiencing. The ever expanding region has needs in the areas of commercial cookery – to support the booming tourism industry – and the building and construction industry.
The College in Port Macquarie is based on an existing school, St Joseph’s Vocational College. With a new campus established in Taree, the College delivers trade training in metals and engineering, construction and commercial cookery – areas that are experiencing gaps in the region.
With campuses in Launceston and Burnie, trade training offered in building and construction, and metals and engineering the College in Northern Tasmania is planning a mid-2006 commencement. Commitment to the community to assisting in alleviating the State’s skills needs is high on the agenda for the College.
The Colleges that have commenced are reporting strong interest, particularly from students and their parents. The interest from employers is growing as they learn the advantages of taking young people and helping to train them to suit their business.
To date, 21 successful proponents have been announced. This means that 2007 will see Colleges open in Hunter, Illawarra, Western Sydney, Central Coast (Gosford), Bairnsdale/Sale, Bendigo, Geelong, Sunshine, Warrnambool, North Brisbane, Townsville, Northern Adelaide, Adelaide South, Whyalla/Port Augusta, Perth South and Darwin. The remaining Colleges are expected to open in 2008. Work is underway on finalising Funding Agreements with the successful proponents; ensuring new schools meet state and territory registration requirements and most importantly setting a framework in place to deliver the required outcomes.
For further information visit the website at http://www.australiantechnicalcolleges.gov.au/
As part of the 2004 election commitments the Group Training the Trades Programme commenced on 1 July 2005, and over four years will provide an additional 7,000 School-Based New Apprenticeships in the trades and up to 4,500 pre-vocational training places for people preparing to take up a New Apprenticeship in the trades.
The Department has contracted four Brokers covering 12 regions nationally. As at 3 March 2006, 412 participants had commenced in the Programme, 279 were in pre-vocational training and 133 were in School-Based New Apprenticeships. To date, the commencements for GTTP are in the trade industries that are recognised as having skills shortages, such as Engineering and Electrical/Electronics.
On 10 March 2006 the first Brokers forum was held at DEST National office, 220 Northbourne Ave. It was the first time in the 7 months that the programme has been running that all the Brokers have come together and met. The forum provided an opportunity for the Brokers to form relationships, share ideas, challenges and success stories on the programme to date.
During the forum each Broker gave a 10 minute presentation of their experiences on the programme so far. There was a general consensus that initially there were challenges with the promotion of GTTP and due to this it has been a slow start. However all Brokers were optimistic about the future of the programme as commencements have increased significantly and there are marketing strategies in place to further promote the GTTP.
It was agreed that the Forum should be an annual event, with ongoing communications between all Brokers as a way of continuing to share ideas and information on the programme.
Further information about the GTTP is available at https://gttp.dest.gov.au, by phoning the Training Initiatives hotline on 1300 782 295 or by emailing grouptraining@dest.gov.au.
The National Training Information Service (NTIS) website (www.ntis.gov.au) is undergoing a major revamp to make it more visually appealing, user friendly and accessible. Built using sophisticated and flexible technologies, the newly designed NTIS website is currently available for testing and will be continually enhanced over the next few months coinciding with the decommissioning of the original NTIS website.
There are two test sites which display the look and functionality of the new NTIS website, and these are:
Test Site 1
Released on 13 March 2006 after an extensive round of user acceptance testing, this test site is well-designed, easy to navigate around and offers users the benefits of a standardised template for training packages. While the full functionality of this test site is currently limited due to the training packages being available in a PDF format, the site offers external organisations (State Training Authorities, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and TAFEs) the capability to retrieve information directly from NTIS and/or develop software that extracts information directly out of their systems to send direct to NTIS without manual intervention.
This test site is available at http://stage.ntis.gov.au , and will be released to the public on 10 April 2006 as the new NTIS website at http://www.ntis.gov.au
Test Site 2
Users looking at this test site will note that they are able to view training packages down to the unit level and can see individual items within a unit such as packaging rules, evidence guide and range statements. In this test site, each section of a training package will be ‘downloadable’ meaning users will be able to download and print the particular section of the training package that is relevant to their business. This will be much easier than having to download large training packages just to acquire a single unit of interest.
This test site is available at http://tp.stage.ntis.gov.au
The functions of Test Site 2 will eventually be incorporated into the NTIS website to create a comprehensive and fully functional public access website. It is envisaged this will occur mid year after a full launch and training campaign has been planned and scoped with Working Group members.
People are encouraged to look at these test sites and provide any feedback to navhelp@info.training.com.au
Reframing the Future is the national staff development program for skilling Australia’s VET workforce to implement the national training system. It is funded by the Australian and State and Territory Governments.
Applications close on Tuesday 11 April 2006. Guidelines, application forms and contact details for the national project team are available from http://www.reframingthefuture.net/ . It’s not too late to discuss your project ideas with a Reframing the Future national project team member via phone or email.
For further information contact Liz Blackmore on 08 8207 9655, or email reframingthefuture@tafesa.edu.au
The second volume of the popular Back 2 Basics publication is now available online for vocational education and training practitioners.
The hard copy of Training Packages @ Work: Back 2 Basics vol. 2 was launched in May 2005. In response to popular demand, the second volume has been published online so it can be downloaded at no cost.
The publication was produced by the team behind Training Packages @ Work, a national newsletter funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training, which provides advice and information on the implementation of training packages and other key training issues.
The Chair of the Training Packages @ Work National Editorial Committee, Richard Campbell, says the second volume was produced in response to the excellent feedback received about the first volume and requests for more topics to be explained.
'Australia has one of the world’s best vocational education and training systems,’ Mr Campbell says. ‘But for someone new to the sector there is a lot of information to absorb to operate effectively. With all the changes occurring in the national training landscape at the moment, a publication that explains in simple terms some of the key components of the system, such as recognition of prior learning, industry skills councils and vocational education and training in schools, is a welcomed resource. Having these publications available online for practitioners to refer to whenever they want answers to common delivery questions is very handy. People have also appreciated having topics explained without using jargon and acronyms.'
Back 2 Basics volumes 1 and 2 demystify Australia’s vocational education and training system. The original publication, Training Packages @ Work: Back 2 Basics, was launched online in 2004 and is regularly updated so it remains a useful resource for vocational education and training practitioners around Australia.
The Back 2 Basics publications and the Training Packages @ Work newsletter are collaborative projects that involve all state and territory training authorities, the Department of Education, Science and Training, Industry Training Australia and VETnetwork Australia.
To view either volume of Back 2 Basics online at no charge visit www.tpatwork.com/back2basics (login required).
To order FREE hard copies or for more information, contact the Training Packages @ Work team at info@tpatwork.com or 07 3225 2450.
To remain up to date with what is happening in the vocational education and training sector subscribe to receive the Training Packages @ Work online newsletter free each month at http://www.tpatwork.com/ (select ‘subscribe’).