Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Longman for his question. There are 39,000 students in his electorate who are doing vocational education. I know he's very passionate about this area, because in the construction and building industry in particular there are lots of jobs which are required to be filled in the Longman electorate. So I thank him for his passion for this area.

The member for Longman will be very pleased to know that we are modernising the vocational education and training sector—$585 million in our skills package is now rolling out. That's all thanks to our strong economy. Australian businesses will create over 1.25 million jobs over the next five years and we are rolling out a $100 billion infrastructure investment pipeline, and we need the skills to fill these jobs.

Last week, the Prime Minister and the minister announced that Scott Cam will be our first national careers ambassador. I know all on this side are very pleased with this announcement. As an ambassador, he will inspire the next generation of tradies by highlighting how technical training can lead to high-paying and fulfilling jobs. He is proof that a trade can be incredibly valuable, rewarding and successful and that it can be a very, very good career choice. Scott will help Australians of all ages and all stages to make informed decisions about learning, training and work pathways. He will be the public face of our National Careers Institute, which will lead the delivery of high-quality, evidence based career development for Australians so they can make informed decisions about their learning, training and work pathways.

In addition to this, our $585 million skills package includes incentives for up to 80,000 new apprentices and expanded apprentice wage subsidy trials in rural and regional areas. The Morrison government is spending $3 billion in vocational education annually. We know that, in the next four years, over 90 per cent of jobs that will be created will require a tertiary qualification. That's why we're working to ensure that, no matter where in Australia you come from, or what type of career choice you make, you'll get a quality education, especially when it comes to vocational education.

See this speech in context