Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Whether it be in the schools or in the apprenticeship centres, Labor never invited industry to sit at the table. The problem was that the graduates that came out of the training systems under Labor were not sufficiently linked to industry and were not useful for industry. So what we have said—and the entire focus of our policy in this area around apprenticeships and training, including vocational education in schools—is make sure that industry has that buy-in and that industry participates. In some school communities around Australia you do see that and it is done extremely well. You see school principals achieving in spite of the obstacles put in the way. The most important thing, again, is that the interests of the young person are front and centre of those considerations.

So when it comes to youth unemployment we are determined to do something. We do recognise that, with the streaming of students into two different pathways, we unfortunately see too often the recognition that, 'Oh well, if you are not going to university, you are going to the trades and training,' almost as if it is a secondary pathway—and that has got to stop. We have to recognise that it is an equally valid pathway for a student to take a job in trades training or an apprenticeship or go on to higher education. When you look at the figures for the first job for students that come out of universities and you see that huge numbers actually do not leave their university degree and find employment, you realise that, perhaps if they had considered something that maybe they were more suited to in the first place, they would actually have that job. It is not an either/or proposition, Deputy Speaker Scott, as you well know with your rural electorate and as I do in mine. Many people combine a vocational pathway and a higher education pathway over the course of their lifetime. What matters is that people participate in the real economy and that they find the right start and it leads wherever it may.

This MPI is not reasonable. It makes no sense for the opposition to bring this to the parliament today. The failures that the member for Adelaide points to are Labor failures. We are absolutely committed to a skills training and education system that links to a job. We are not interested in distinguishing between students who are good at higher education and not so good at training. We are absolutely committed to making sure that each and every young person has a pathway and a future.

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