Wednesday, 25 May 2022

Ministers statements: vocational education and training

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:12): I rise to update the house about the how the Andrews government’s reforms are giving all students the skills and training they need to be job ready. Our 2022–23 budget is investing $69.4 million to expand our highly successful Head Start apprenticeship and traineeship program into every government secondary school in Victoria. From 2023 every government secondary school student will have the opportunity to sign up to a Head Start apprenticeship or traineeship, getting paid on-the-job training whilst completing their VCE at school. The Head Start team have already signed up 1400 Victorian businesses to deliver opportunities for students, and they will deliver even more.

In terms of the new VCE vocational major reforms I can advise the house that work is underway right now at all government secondary schools and many Catholic and independent schools to develop local VET clusters. At the same time the TAFE network is developing an indicative offer for what vocational pathways they can provide and where in response to schools demand. By the end of term 3 each cluster will have a plan to deliver over the coming years universal access to the core offering of vocational pathways for every student in Victoria.

All of this work is supported by $13.5 million in the recent budget, including jobs, skills and pathways coordinators supporting every school. It is an investment rather than a cut, which is absolutely what those opposite would do if they had the opportunity. We all remember the VCAL coordinators—a $48 million cut to VCAL coordinators at the same time they destroyed TAFE. Only Labor, only the Andrews government, is providing opportunities for every government secondary school student, every Catholic secondary school student and every independent secondary school student.