Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I had the chance to visit the Australian Trade College North Brisbane two weeks ago and meet the students and teachers there. The Australian Trade College is based in Scarborough. It offers year-11 and year-12 students the opportunity to complete senior schooling with hands-on experience that they can use to start a trade career.

The college has an above-average 80 per cent employment level for graduating students, which in simple terms means that 8 out of 10 students go on to get a job after completing school there. So if you are thinking about becoming an apprentice or getting involved with a trade, the Australian Trade College North Brisbane would be a great place to enrol. The students, the young men and women that I met there, are enrolled in a number of different courses—building, plumbing, mechanical and beauty courses—and they are all keen to learn and to do their best and excel at school, which is great to see. I would also like to acknowledge the teachers at the Australian Trade College, who have great practical experience in the workforce before becoming lecturers and teachers at the college. We know that teachers play a major part in children's education. I want to thank them for their contribution.

Coming from a blue-collar, tradie background, I recognise the importance of tradies. They use their skills to build and sustain our communities. In my electorate of Petrie the majority of the seat is made up of residential homes. There is a big demand now for tradespeople in my area, so I think those students have chosen a good field in which to study.

As a government, we have introduced the new Trade Support Loans to give young people who are entering a trade the same opportunity that university students have had for decades. I am pleased to say that in the last six months we have had 16,000 people access Trade Support Loans, which is fantastic news. That gives them a bit of a leg-up as they start their careers. I would like to say to all those students and the small businesses in the electorate of Petrie: if you are a sole trader or a partnership, consider expanding your business because there is a high demand for tradies in the area, and there are also lots of people looking for work. If you can put on an apprentice or put on some more staff that would be great for our local economy. It also gives the business owner an income-producing asset, which is very important. When they retire they will have their superannuation, but they will also have a business that will be worth something, which they will be able to sell. They will also be providing jobs locally.