300,000 apprenticeships for rural and regional Australia

MAY 10, 2017: A new $1.5 billion Skilling Australians Fund announced in the Budget will give rural and regional Australia a jobs boost through the creation of 300,000 apprenticeships over the next four years.I welcome this move to reverse the dramatic decline in apprentice numbers, because vocational education and apprenticeships are vital in this region, and some of the identified growth industries to be prioritised are agriculture and tourism.And I welcome the fact that this is being funded by the abolition of the 457 Visa program, which will be replaced by a revised program which will require employers hiring temporary or permanent employer-sponsored foreign workers to pay a fee.This reform provides new opportunities for people to take up apprenticeships and traineeships, pre-apprenticeships and higher level apprenticeships in occupations of high demand or with future growth potential.I encourage the Queensland Government to put forward innovative projects to ensure our local community is able to share in the opportunities that this new funding provides.Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Karen Andrews, said the Skilling Australians Fund and the $60 million Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices scheme are key parts of the Coalition’s plan to significantly boost apprentice numbers throughout Australia.“The Fund will create an extra 300,000 apprentices over the next four years reversing the dramatic decline that occurred under the National Partnership Agreement signed off by Labor in 2012,” Minister Andrews said.“The biggest annual decline in apprentices in Australia occurred in Labor’s last year in office from June 2012 to June 2013 when the number collapsed from around 515,000 to 404,000, or 22 per cent,” Minister Andrews said.There will also be funding to reskill workers who need to transition into other industries.Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Training Karen Andrews said the Fund will be financed by recent Government reforms.“We understand that overseas skilled migrants may be necessary to fill a short term need, but the Turnbull Government is ensuring that in the long term we can fulfil those skills needs with Australian workers, which is good for Australian business and good for our economy,” Minister Andrews said.Minister Andrews said the new industry specialised mentoring service continued the Government’s focus on supporting apprentices and trainees, complementing the existing services available under the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network program.The service will help keep apprentices in training by providing added support in the first two years of training.This will improve completion rates and support the supply of skilled workers in industries undergoing structural change.The focus on apprenticeships and traineeships in the Budget will boost the number of young people in our region who choose and succeed in this pathway. It will support more members of our community to get the skills they need in industries of the future.