Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training, I present the committee's report, incorporating a dissenting report, entitled Shared vision, equal pathways: Inquiry into the perceptions and status of vocational education and training, together with the minutes of the proceedings. Despite the evidence that VET will continue to be crucial to Australia's economic prosperity, many Australians hold negative perceptions of the sector. These perceptions are often driven by a poor understanding of VET and the careers it can lead to and also because of policy decisions and media representations that reinforce the belief that university is a better pathway to personal and professional success.

During the inquiry it became apparent that current and prospective VET students, employers and the public lack a single trusted source of reliable information on VET. While the National Careers Institute, the NCI, was created as a kind of one-stop shop for information on VET qualifications and careers, evidence to the committee suggested that the NCI was not functioning effectively and required a significant overhaul or substantial enhancement. Many of the witnesses who participated in the inquiry were not aware of the NCI or its work. Others said that it failed to meet its core objectives. The AIG said that it did not believe that the National Careers Institute was reaching its target. The Australian Centre for Career Education reported that the NCI did not have a prominent role in schools, including in supporting career advice.

The website also came under scrutiny. The National Careers Institute's Your Career website did not provide sufficient or relevant information on skill based careers, with one of the witnesses noting that if you typed in 'I would like to work with my hands in construction' you don't get a recommendation for a trade pathway until the 40th option. Instead, it suggested 'If you'd like to work with your hands in construction then perhaps consider becoming an architect.' It's a perverse outcome, noting that the National Careers Institute was originally set up to focus on promoting vocational careers. If I can be frank, the National Careers Institute may not be able to be saved, and it may be better for it to be scrapped and start again.

While I have highlighted one area of focus in my comments today—the National Careers Institute—I know that many of the other committee members will focus on other key parts of VET that the report highlights. There is a need to focus on supporting more women and diverse cohorts into VET. There is also a strong need to focus on strategic partnerships between schools, TAFEs and employers, which will be critical to enhancing VET within schools, as well as ensuring sufficient school funding to enable schools to achieve this outcome. The VET sector must deliver on training that is relevant and adapts to the economy, technology, environmental turmoil and changing human demographics. This will require reimagining how we develop and accredit qualifications and units of competency. This is not to say we need to abandon the cornerstone of VET programs. Apprenticeships and traineeships will remain a core part of the sector. However, there's compelling evidence that many apprentices are leaving due to a lack of adequate support, and therefore there is a need to enable industry led support networks.

There's not enough time to really focus on what we covered in the report. But, in closing, I'd like to thank the numerous organisations and individuals who contributed to the inquiry, particularly the students and the educators. Real change will be difficult without engaging those who are impacted the most. In this report, the committee has made 34 recommendations on how to enhance VET and lift perceptions of the sector. The findings were informed by over 100 submissions, over 30 hours of public hearings and direct engagement with VET and secondary school students. I'd particularly like to thank the school students and teachers who participated in our inquiry. I commend the committee's report to the House.

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