John Watson (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Tonight I wish to examine the current status of trades training in Australia and to raise some positive aspects being displayed by the Australian technical college in my home city of Launceston in Northern Tasmania.

Firstly I should note that I have some personal experience in the technical college world—now mostly known as technical and further education campuses. I not only graduated at night school from TAFE but also had some 13 years teaching there. I have also had the pleasure of managing a very large textile mill in Launceston, Kelsall and Kemp, where technical training was a vital part of the skills needed to run the mill and to keep its technology in good working order.

In more recent years in my role as a senator for Tasmania, I have taken a close interest in the developing world of post-school education as Launceston has grown into an education city. It is home to modern TAFE facilities, to a large campus of the University of Tasmania and the Australian Maritime College, as well as other smaller but no less expert facilities for various sorts of specialised education. It is a far cry from 40 years ago, when the city was largely a manufacturing centre.

It was with particular interest that I attended the graduation ceremony of the recently established Launceston campus of the Australian technical college. It is regrettable that the establishment of these colleges around the country has been clouded by party political debate. There has been an element in our community who have seen it as their role to demean the place of the ATCs for various political reasons. On the other hand I believe that Launceston’s ATC has shown that initiative has great merit and can be successful in filling a previously neglected role in the mix of educational options which are available to our young Australians.

In our modern society members of the so-called generation Y—in other words the emerging generation about to take greater responsibility for this country’s future—are tempted by a very different range of life options than many or most of us here—the baby boomer generation. The thought of struggling through high school and then facing perhaps four years of an apprenticeship on restricted wages and needing to attend and pass technical college courses does not always attract as many candidates as in previous years. In addition, with today’s strong employment demands, the prospect of working comfortably in an air-conditioned office in front of a computer is often more appealing to many rather than learning a trade, which may be subject to outside year-round weather conditions, often hard and uncomfortable physical labour and being employed as the cycle of economic demand dictates.

Nevertheless, there are still many young Australians who see fulfilment in being involved in the building trades, in the hospitality industry, in hairdressing and in the automotive world or in many of the other skills which utilise apprenticeships or traineeships as their main source of qualified workers. It is these young people whose particular enthusiasm and needs the Australian technical colleges are attempting to meet and, in the case of the Launceston campus, with notable success. I congratulate the chairman, the headmaster, the lecturers and the students.

For those not familiar with the ATC concept, they are students in years 11 and 12. Students enter an Australian school based apprenticeship in a trade at the certificate III level which leads to a nationally recognised qualification. They study academic subjects leading to a year 12 certificate and they also gain IT, employability and business skills enabling them to run their own business if they so desire. They can also keep the option of going onto further study at university.

Although the Launceston Australian technical college is still in its infancy, the chairman, Mr Mac Russell, in his address at the graduation ceremony in February, gave credit to those involved in getting the facility up and going successfully, in an area and at a time when there was no precedent to follow. It was a great result and I congratulate him, his staff and his board. He noted the support of the new federal Minister for Education in approving the decision to proceed with the development of a new purpose-built facility in the Launceston suburb of Inveresk that was expected to be available to move into by later this year. It is good to see that bipartisanship extending, which was only possible because of the initiative, enthusiasm and dedication of those at the college.

The chairman also praised the concept of the college having a considerable input from the business community. Given that the ATCs are largely a response to a spike in demand for particular skills, the cooperation and expertise of the local business community is vital in ensuring that the Australian technical colleges are on the right track with the courses they offer. It was noted that Australia had a dropout rate of 30 per cent within the first three months of an apprenticeship, whereas the Launceston campus of the ATC had a dropout rate of only two per cent. So they must be doing something very right.

The students involved in the graduation ceremony were indeed pioneers and creators of a revolutionary change in education delivery and I personally congratulate them on their achievement. I also congratulate the staff and the others in the community involved in establishing the Launceston campus of the Australian technical college for their success in getting the college going so well.

I note with particular interest the new Rudd government’s promise to re-establish trade facilities in our high schools, although it is now apparent that the amount promised will fall far short of providing the old workshops and kitchens once common in all our high schools. Once again the Rudd government, as in so many other areas, is funding a patch-up of neglected facilities and services which the state and territory governments lost interest in many years ago. They will probably do the same thing and try to prop up the failing state and territory hospitals and health services and bail out those responsible for their failures. Even if the Commonwealth funds were able to provide modern trade training facilities in government high schools, which they cannot, where would they find the teachers? Trades teachers and tradespeople with the necessary modern skills are simply not available in the numbers that such a scheme would demand.

I commend the Australian Technical College system to honourable senators as a practical and innovative solution to a difficult problem; that of providing needed skills for Australia. These colleges bring together the facilities, the skilled staff and the motivated students in an environment designed to achieve practical and valuable skills. More importantly, these schools extend into the general community, because they work in providing quality constructions, fencings, school fittings, lockers and facilities that otherwise would have to be provided by state governments or by the parents and friends of primary schools. Launceston primary schools, particularly in the area of Ravenswood, have benefited greatly. If other ATCs elsewhere are anywhere near the success story that the Launceston campus obviously is it will be most unfortunate to see the concept fall by the wayside in other states for lack of political support and for lack of the will to recognise a good idea when it is there for all of us to see. Congratulations to the students—particularly to those who have graduated so successfully—and to those who successfully brought this concept into reality.