Release Date: 15/08/2013
PEAK industry organisation, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(TCCI) has called on all political parties at a state and national level to respond, as
a matter of urgency, to the dramatic drop in apprenticeship starts.
The TCCI says the future of skills development and productivity growth in Australia
hangs in the balance, waiting for policy clarity and clear commitment from all sides
of politics.
TCCI CEO Michael Bailey said the Tasmanian situation was particularly serious with
the number of apprentices recruited by the Tasmanian construction industry alone
falling by more than 400, or almost 55 per cent in the two years to 2012.
Mr Bailey said industry needed to know that the next Australian and Tasmanian
Governments were committed to maintaining an industry-led apprenticeship
system, and to demonstrate how they plan to work with industry groups to develop
coherent policies promoting work which is integrated with training.
At a national level, industry is committed to boosting apprenticeships to address
increasing concerns about productivity, global competitiveness, and rising
unemployment and in particular youth unemployment.
“A series of ad hoc changes to policy, training funding and financial incentives
which have cut support of apprenticeships at the Federal and State level have had
a dramatic and destabilising impact on apprenticeship commencements, which
are now at their lowest level since 1999,” Mr Bailey said.
“Government support for apprenticeships is narrowing such that major growth
areas of the economy, including the service sector industries of retail, transport,
finance and hospitality are bearing the brunt of the changes, but with all
occupations in apprenticeships detrimentally affected.
“Employers are losing confidence in the apprenticeship system, not because of a
lack of commitment to a long-standing model of training delivered in a work
context, but because they cannot rely on consistency in the approach by both
Federal and State Governments.
“During this Federal election campaign and the state campaign early next year, we
call on the political parties to recognise the importance of apprenticeships to the
economy and confirm their commitment to implementing industry-driven training
outcomes.”
Mr Bailey said whichever parties win government they must specifically engage
with industry post-election on a holistic review of the apprenticeship system with
an immediate imperative to get commencements growing again.
Ends….