What the budget means for skills
The Commonwealth 2011-12 budget includes a wealth of resources for training. The policy Building Australia's Future Workforce - trained up and ready for work, includes funding for:
- $558 million in a new National Workforce Development Fund — partnering with industry to deliver more training outcomes designed to meet the needs of a growing economy
- An estimated 130,000 industry-focused training places
- $100 million to support new approaches to training to ensure skilled apprentices can gain their qualifications sooner
- $101 million for mentoring to support apprentices and trainees through to completion of their training, including funding to provide advice to prospective apprentices on the right trade for them
BICCIAB welcome the investment the Government is making to skilling our industry. We do have some concerns how 'apprentices can gain their qualifications sooner', given our previous and ongoing statements that the Victorian industry do not support 'fast-tracking'. BICCIAB will continue to support a quality training system that recognises industry competency in a framework that allows accurate demonstration of skill and knowledge.
We will ensure our involvement and ongoing relationships with the Victorian building and construction and civil construction industry and the state government remain strong during the implementation of these budget initiatives.
To view what players in the industry are saying about the budget, visit the ACIF's excellent brief by clicking here.
For more detailed information the Government have released fact sheets on each of the budget announcements. Click here to go to the DEEWR website.
