Mr STIRLING - 2008-06-12
Three years ago, this government - and I might add, amidst much derision from members opposite - announced an ambitious plan to place 10 000 trainees in training over the next four years, the life of this government. I ask the Chief Minister if he could give us an update on how progress towards that target is being made?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Nhulunbuy, for his very passionate question. As the minister who brought into place the ambitious target back in 2005, I know how passionately he is committed to training, to apprenticeships, and improving the skills base of people in the Northern Territory. I am very pleased to be responding to this question today, to say to the member for Nhulunbuy and to all Territorians that we are well on track in achieving our target of 10 000 new apprentices and trainees over four years.
I advise today that, since then, 9120 Territorians have entered training. That is a huge trend. It has actually doubled the training effort across the Territory. I can also proudly say, on behalf of everybody involved in DEET, in the training industry and also employers across the Northern Territory, per capita, we have more people in apprenticeships and traineeships in the Northern Territory than anywhere else in Australia. That is a magnificent achievement and actually bears out that, sometimes, it is good to be bold in setting targets that you are trying to achieve.
Of those 9120 Territorians, the most popular fields involved include carpentry, plumbing, hospitality, children’s services, and automotive mechanical and engineering, a huge take-up in the traditional blue collar skills training areas. Wherever I go throughout the Northern Territory, entering into a business, I always ask if they have any trainees/apprentices and, if they say yes, I like to meet them. In 1978, I started my apprenticeship as a marine fitter and it is something that I am always really pleased that I did in my life.
We do provide incentives to both employees and trainees to get an apprenticeship or traineeship. There are employer incentives of $4000 to businesses who take on apprentices in skill shortage areas - the fact of life is that that is in most areas of the economy at the moment - and $2000 for employers who take on an apprentice or trainee from a disadvantaged group.
We also support apprentices at the beginning of their training because we know those first few wages are not that crash hot and people do struggle. I take my hat off to people who said they are going to do an apprenticeship or traineeship because they could go out into the economy and, basically, take on unskilled work and be earning a lot more than they do as a first-year apprentice. So, it does come across to those people. There is $1000 available for eligible trade apprentices and $300 for other apprentices and trainees for safety gear, work wear and other costs.
At lunchtime today, I was very pleased to visit Kerry’s Automotive Group on the Stuart Highway. I was there last week on a business visit, talking to Kerry Ambrose-Pearce and Greg Ambrose-Pearce. I asked my question about how many apprentices and trainees they have and they advised me 30 across their group of businesses, which is a huge commitment. They have doubled that over the last couple of years, which is a huge commitment for a business in Darwin. Today, to go back and meet some of those young people was an absolute privilege. I met about eight or nine of them, all of whom were bristling with enthusiasm. One young fellow, an adult apprentice, has just become the best third-year motor vehicle mechanic apprentice across the Northern Territory and is very proud of his achievements - a big well done. Also, a young girl from Taminmin High School, member for Goyder, is doing a school-based apprenticeship there and really wants to go on and do a fully-fledged apprenticeship after that.
The incentives are working. Young people are now looking at these traditional trades and actually saying: ‘Yes, I want to do that’. There was another young fellow there today who had done two years of tertiary study at university, decided that that was not really for him, and he has gone back to an apprenticeship. How times have changed, where people are now choosing to do a blue-collar trade apprenticeship as opposed to going on to tertiary education.
Madam Speaker, I am really proud to be part of a government that took on the challenge. The member for Nhulunbuy, when he was Employment, Education and Training Minister, said we should go for 10 000. Everybody thought we were not going to achieve it. We are well on the way. Congratulations to everybody in DEET, and to the entire training industry across the Northern Territory. Congratulations to those employers who, out of all proportion, are taking on apprentices and trainees across the Northern Territory. Most importantly, our thanks go to those young people, and also those adults who are doing a career change later in their life to get the skills that this economy needs to power the Territory ahead into the future.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Nhulunbuy, for his very passionate question. As the minister who brought into place the ambitious target back in 2005, I know how passionately he is committed to training, to apprenticeships, and improving the skills base of people in the Northern Territory. I am very pleased to be responding to this question today, to say to the member for Nhulunbuy and to all Territorians that we are well on track in achieving our target of 10 000 new apprentices and trainees over four years.
I advise today that, since then, 9120 Territorians have entered training. That is a huge trend. It has actually doubled the training effort across the Territory. I can also proudly say, on behalf of everybody involved in DEET, in the training industry and also employers across the Northern Territory, per capita, we have more people in apprenticeships and traineeships in the Northern Territory than anywhere else in Australia. That is a magnificent achievement and actually bears out that, sometimes, it is good to be bold in setting targets that you are trying to achieve.
Of those 9120 Territorians, the most popular fields involved include carpentry, plumbing, hospitality, children’s services, and automotive mechanical and engineering, a huge take-up in the traditional blue collar skills training areas. Wherever I go throughout the Northern Territory, entering into a business, I always ask if they have any trainees/apprentices and, if they say yes, I like to meet them. In 1978, I started my apprenticeship as a marine fitter and it is something that I am always really pleased that I did in my life.
We do provide incentives to both employees and trainees to get an apprenticeship or traineeship. There are employer incentives of $4000 to businesses who take on apprentices in skill shortage areas - the fact of life is that that is in most areas of the economy at the moment - and $2000 for employers who take on an apprentice or trainee from a disadvantaged group.
We also support apprentices at the beginning of their training because we know those first few wages are not that crash hot and people do struggle. I take my hat off to people who said they are going to do an apprenticeship or traineeship because they could go out into the economy and, basically, take on unskilled work and be earning a lot more than they do as a first-year apprentice. So, it does come across to those people. There is $1000 available for eligible trade apprentices and $300 for other apprentices and trainees for safety gear, work wear and other costs.
At lunchtime today, I was very pleased to visit Kerry’s Automotive Group on the Stuart Highway. I was there last week on a business visit, talking to Kerry Ambrose-Pearce and Greg Ambrose-Pearce. I asked my question about how many apprentices and trainees they have and they advised me 30 across their group of businesses, which is a huge commitment. They have doubled that over the last couple of years, which is a huge commitment for a business in Darwin. Today, to go back and meet some of those young people was an absolute privilege. I met about eight or nine of them, all of whom were bristling with enthusiasm. One young fellow, an adult apprentice, has just become the best third-year motor vehicle mechanic apprentice across the Northern Territory and is very proud of his achievements - a big well done. Also, a young girl from Taminmin High School, member for Goyder, is doing a school-based apprenticeship there and really wants to go on and do a fully-fledged apprenticeship after that.
The incentives are working. Young people are now looking at these traditional trades and actually saying: ‘Yes, I want to do that’. There was another young fellow there today who had done two years of tertiary study at university, decided that that was not really for him, and he has gone back to an apprenticeship. How times have changed, where people are now choosing to do a blue-collar trade apprenticeship as opposed to going on to tertiary education.
Madam Speaker, I am really proud to be part of a government that took on the challenge. The member for Nhulunbuy, when he was Employment, Education and Training Minister, said we should go for 10 000. Everybody thought we were not going to achieve it. We are well on the way. Congratulations to everybody in DEET, and to the entire training industry across the Northern Territory. Congratulations to those employers who, out of all proportion, are taking on apprentices and trainees across the Northern Territory. Most importantly, our thanks go to those young people, and also those adults who are doing a career change later in their life to get the skills that this economy needs to power the Territory ahead into the future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016