John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Vocational Education and Skills. In my electorate of Calare a number of young people who have recently completed year 12 have asked me about opportunities for further study and employment. Will the minister please update the House on how the government is supporting young people to develop their skills and their futures?

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. The member for Calare is a member who understands the importance of young people achieving their potential. If a young person is to achieve that potential in the 21st century, it is vital that they invest in their skills, through either a higher education path, such as through the very fine Charles Sturt University in the electorate of Calare, or a VET path, through a range of great TAFEs and registered training providers. There are great opportunities for young people in Calare, who are represented by the good member.

For those young people who want to pursue employment and earn as they learn, there are some great opportunities through apprenticeships and traineeships, which allow young people to learn on the job but also receive the skills that they need to make them employable into the future. Having work experience and theoretical training at the same time is a great opportunity for young people. Apprenticeships can be highly attractive to young people who want to move into their own business at an early age—great opportunities to create the next generation of young entrepreneurs.

I am pleased to advise the House that there are some 2,100 apprentices currently in training in the electorate of Calare, supported by the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network providing support to apprentices to navigate the apprenticeships system and providing support for employers to retain and apprentice during that training. We need to ensure that we increase commencements, but we also need to ensure that we increase completions, and that support network is doing great work in assisting that to occur. Local businesses are supporting apprentices in the good member's electorate. We have businesses such as Finemore Transport employing apprentices. We have the police service taking on apprentices. We have the Blayney Shire Council and Skillset, a group training authority, taking on apprentices.

We are absolutely focused on developing the skills that this country needs going forward. That is why we have Australian apprentice incentives, that is why we have the Apprenticeship Support Network and that is why we have trade support loans—great programs to support apprentices and skills training. But if a young person is to make the right choices, it is important that they have the right information. That is why we have the My Skills website to provide the sort of information that young people need to make an informed decision about their training needs, which can assist them into the future. The government are about developing Australia's skilled workforce for the future. We are focused on higher education. We are focused on vocational education and training. We want to see that Australia has the skilled workforce that it needs for the future.