Thursday, 22 February 2024

TAFE sector

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:13): (434) My question is to the Minister for Skills and TAFE. I refer the minister to her statement last sitting week spruiking the success of TAFE. You said, ‘We are very proud of making sure that we are getting TAFE courses delivered, acquiring those skills and moving on to jobs.’ Yet the recent Productivity Commission report is that 47 per cent of cert I and II, 28 per cent of cert III and IV and 30 per cent of diploma students did not improve their employment status after training. What are you going to do to change those low-outcome results?

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (12:14): I thank the member for raising the ROGS, because we were quite enthused by a number of points. As I said in terms of a response in the last sitting week, you can cherrypick certain things that you want to bring into this chamber, but overall the ROGS for us was quite good. We are very supportive of ROGS data because it does provide us with an opportunity to look at what can be improved. That is exactly what we do with data that comes to us, whether it comes to us from ROGS or it comes to us from the Victorian Skills Authority or indeed Treasury. These are the sorts of things that are important. It is not about guessing where the market might be, it is about seeing exactly what is happening within the skills and training system and then aligning government support, monetary support, in terms of those areas that need to be fixed or in terms of policy changes that need to occur. One of the things that we have been concerned about for some time has been the enrolment and the completion rates of apprenticeships, and that is why we have established Apprenticeships Victoria and that is why we have established the apprenticeships taskforce, which has been meeting on a very regular basis. I expect that report to be handed to me and the Minister for Industrial Relations fairly shortly. It will be dealing with a whole range of activities.

Joe McCracken: On a point of order, President, I asked the minister about a number of very specific instances, not apprenticeships. Can you please tell me what you are going to do about those ones which have had low employment status outcomes?

The PRESIDENT: It is not a point of order to repeat your question. The minister is being relevant to the question.

Gayle TIERNEY: One of the things that was actually raised was certificates I and II. Certificates I and II are actually pre-apprenticeships, and they do not lead to jobs, they lead to further study. That is what we have been wanting to do. Where students, where young people, have indicated an interest in hands-on apprenticeships, that is exactly what we have been doing. It is to bolster and redesign all of the supports that are required to have a very strong, healthy apprenticeship system. There are a number of other elements in terms of students reaching the goals that they expected to through their training that came in at a very high level, and we are very supportive of, as I said, the ROGS, which provides endorsement of what this government is doing in terms of skills and training. This government has put over $4 billion into the skills and training system. It is aligning with what is needed in the labour market – something that those over there never did. They smashed the TAFE system, they shut 22 campuses down, they sacked 2200 staff in the TAFE system –

Members interjecting.

Renee Heath: On a point of order, President, I would just like to point out that pointing in the chamber is unparliamentary.

The PRESIDENT: There actually have been rulings before that you should not point at other members, that contributions should be directed through the Chair and that interjections are unruly. There were a lot of interjections coming from my left that did not help, so I think let us uphold all points of order on this one. Let us all point out all the rulings I pointed out. Minister, there are only 3 seconds. Do you want your 3 seconds?

Gayle TIERNEY: Yes, sure. This government is delivering in terms of skills and training – something that those opposite never did, because they hate TAFE and they hate VET.

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:19): The minister also stated previously that this is incredibly important not just for individuals but also for the economy. If nearly half of all students in cert I and II courses are not improving their employment status, how is that good for the students or for the economy?

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (12:19): I have got to say that this is just another demonstration that those opposite are not interested in vocational education and training, because if they were, they would not ask this question. They would not ask it, because cert I and II are not for employment; they are pre-apprenticeships. This is about making sure that those that are undertaking certificate I and II are encouraged to take up an apprenticeship – that is what it is about. If you were really interested in VET, you would know that, and I think it is an indictment of and an embarrassment for those opposite.