News and Media Releases

MSA recognises that having a highly skilled and flexible workforce, which makes the best use of the skills in a workplace, raises employee engagement and job satisfaction and can be a key driver of increased productivity.

We recognise that all employed in manufacturing need to be able to adapt ‐ to work effectively in changing environments and apply new learning. Business capabilities, including management capabilities, need to be built to incorporate and promote newer management practices, such as sustainability/triple bottom line thinking.

One of our key roles is to support the implementation of training ‐ through advice and resources, workforce development support and brokerage of Australian Government-funded programs, including the National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF).

To this end and to supplement our current Workforce Development Team headed up by Nick Juniper, we have partnered with the AMWU and Ai Group to provide eight Workforce Development Advisers. These Advisers will work free of charge, to assist you in formulating your Workforce Development Plan. Our Advisers are located in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

For further information abouth this service in South Australia please contact Rhonda Tunks phone 0418 459 440 or email rhonda.tunks@amwu.asn.au

As part of the Federal Government’s National E-Learning Strategy, Wide Bay Institute of TAFE and Automotive Skills Queensland are partnering to show how portable devices such as iPads or iPhones can simplify work related tasks by downloading a productivity application to access work ready checklists while on the work site. 

The productivity application is aimed at providing a way to reduce paperwork, save time and increase productivity for supervisors and team leaders within automotive businesses across the country. This is the first time mobile learning has been applied in the Australian automotive industry.

“With more than 50% of automotive businesses in the small to medium sized category, practical use of technology provides great time efficiency for any business, but particularly when you are a small enterprise, said Melanie O’Toole, Executive Officer, Automotive Skills Queensland. “Time scarcity is a common concern by business owners”, she said. 

With just a few taps in the application, the Supervisor can complete a pre-start checklist or a safety induction, save it to the device and upload it to the Cloud or email it within the business network. This reduces the need to take paper based checklists to the workshop or out to the field where they can often be misplaced, lost or damaged. Completing checklists in this way reduces time and effort. If the business has to prove the task has been completed, they can easily access an electronic copy of the work; including photos, GPS location, and electronic signatures.

This technology application is part of a dedicated online program offered by Wide Bay TAFE.

Enrolments are now being accepted from auto technicians across the country. 

Contact Megan Vievers at Wide Bay Institute of TAFE on 1300 656 188 for course information.

Automotive Skills Queensland is the industry skills council for the Queensland automotive industry. 

 

19 Oct 2011

 

 

Commissioners appointed to new tertiary education quality agency

Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans, today announced the appointment of a new Chief Commissioner and several other high profile appointments to the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

The Australian Government is making $30 million available over the next three years, so that 7500 mature age workers with trade relevant skills but no formal qualifications will have the opportunity to have their skills assessed and formally recognised. More Help for Mature Age Workers is aimed at workers aged 50 years and over and provides a focus on skilling up mature age workers to address both productivity and skills shortages.

DEEWR invites applications from employers in industries where there are a high proportion of trade occupations under the new More Help for Mature Age Workers initiative. Occupations generally classified by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) as Technicians and Trade Workers; Machinery Operators and Drivers and Labourers are being targeted. Priority industries targeted include the Construction, Manufacturing, Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services.

The grant can also apply to small business owners who are in this targeted age group and operate in these industries.

The initiative builds upon the $43 million in government support through a range of Experience+ programs and services to help employers attract and retain mature workers including Experience+ Training, which aims to help mature age workers to remain engaged in the workforce and to share their knowledge and experience to apprentices and trainees.

Further information about More Help for Mature Age Workers and related programs can be accessed through the website, by emailing experience@deewr.gov.au or by calling 13 17 64.

A new National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF) has been released by the Australian Government, through DEEWR, to provide additional training places to increase workforce capability.

 

Automotive enterprises are invited to make applications for this additional funding.  Details are attached for your consideration.

The Productivity Places Program (PPP) is part of the Australian Government’s Skilling Australia for the Future initiative. The program will provide additional training opportunities to assist Australian workers and job seekers to develop the skills they need to be effective participants and contributors to the modern workforce. The training places will be delivered in response to skills and occupations demand identified by industry.

The programs are administered by the South Australian Government by Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST).  

 

Applications open for Productivity Places Program for Existing Workers 2011 funding on Monday 2 May 2011 at 9am, and will close on Friday 27 May 2011 at 5pm. No late applications will be accepted.

Funding is available to train South Australian Existing Workers in Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications.

Organisations that can submit applications to up-skill Existing Workers include:

Individuals workers cannot submit applications for their own training and must be a part of a tender submitted by or on behalf of their employer. 

DFEEST has opened the next round of Existing Worker Productivity Places today (15 June) and the application process will close on Friday 9 July 2010 at 5.00pm.

 

·         Our understanding is that this round will fund around $32 million across all industries in South Australia.

 

Links to the application form templates and guidelines are listed below:

Applications can be submitted to dfeest.ppp@saugov.sa.gov.au before 5.00 pm on Friday 9 July 2010. Applications received after 5.00 pm on the closing date will not be considered.

Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, Minister for Employment Participation, Mark Arbib, and Parliamentary Secretary for Employment, Jason Clare, today announced the Australian Government would provide additional support to apprentices both before and during their training to help them secure long-term employment.

 

 

 

Employers, industry bodies, enterprises, employment service providers and Registered Training Organisations to apply for the funds to train job seekers in nationally endorsed qualifications at Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV and Diploma levels. Guidelines and application forms are now available.

 

This round for Job Seekers will allocate approximately $ 6 million, with a further allocation of $4 million offered before mid 2010. 

 

Proposals will be required to demonstrate how the proposal will engage Job Services Australia providers and show an understanding of the Job Services Australia provider’s role. Employment outcomes are a priority, and applications will be assessed on the evidence of work placement programs and existing relationships with employers to facilitate this.  Successful proposals will also target skills in demand, and applicants are also urged to provide evidence of additional learning and social supports to help ensure the highest possible level of training completion.   Some places will be targeted to meet special needs of Indigenous people, those with disabilities, regional circumstances, retrenched workers and unemployed youth.

 

 The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today welcomed a landmark decision by the majority of State and Territory Education Ministers to support the formation of a new, independent national regulator for the vocational education and training sector.

The regulator will be responsible for undertaking the registration and audit of registered training providers across the country.

The agreement was made at the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) meeting in Canberra today, with a framework for the new regulation to be agreed by the end of May 2010 and the regulator beginning operation from 2011.

Ministers will be recommending to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) that the new vocational education regulator will be a Commonwealth statutory authority with the Victorian and Western Australia Ministers supported the consideration of other models to achieve national regulation. 

The regulator will help improve the quality and integrity of Australia’s vocational education sector, and bring Australia one step closer to an inter-connected tertiary education sector.

State, Territory and Federal Education Ministers also today signed off on important issues for the new Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to be established in 2010 and located in Melbourne.

Ms Gillard said that TEQSA will accredit providers, encourage best practice, simplify current regulatory arrangements and provide greater national consistency.

New national quality assurance arrangements will ensure that domestic and international students are well served by our higher education system and have better information about how our higher education institutions are performing.

While the States and Territories raised a number of important issues for consideration today, all governments agreed on the importance of working closely together to ensure the development of a robust quality framework.

These frameworks will strengthen the tertiary education sector and its capacity to meet Australia’s future demands for a highly skilled workforce.

The Australian Government is providing $57 million over four years to establish TEQSA as part of its response to the Bradley Review of higher education.

More information can be found on the MCTEE website at: www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/Pages/Ministerial_Council.aspx

Media Contact:

media@deewr.gov.au

Non-media queries: 1300 363 079

Joint Media Release with Senator the Hon Mark Arbib MP and The Hon Jason Clare MP

The Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, today hosted a national Keep Australian Apprentices Working Roundtable to address continuing trade skill shortages across Australia.

Ms Gillard, Minister for Employment Participation Mark Arbib and Parliamentary Secretary for Employment Jason Clare highlighted the need for continuing employer support for apprentices as Australia begins to emerge from the global recession.

Representatives at the Roundtable included the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group, Group Training Australia and most of the 11 Industry Skills Councils.

The Roundtable agreed to promote and support the Government’s Apprentice Kickstart initiative which more than triples the first year incentive paid to employers who take on an eligible apprentice this summer.

The increased bonus will be available between 1 December 2009 and 28 February 2010, or until 21 000 apprentices commence in skill shortage trades.

The Roundtable also agreed to support the work of the COAG Australian Apprentices Taskforce, which has found the need for:

• a more seamless and streamlined Australian Apprenticeships system;
• improved pre-apprenticeship arrangements;
• strengthened mentoring and support arrangements for employers and Australian Apprentices;
• a re-prioritisation of Australian Apprenticeships incentives payments; and
• working with Government to ensure that the design of future pre-apprenticeship programs will assist the supply of future trades people.

Ms Gillard said the Roundtable was a further Government response to a 20 per cent drop in people starting trade apprenticeships compared to the same time last year.

Senator Arbib said the Australian Government believes strong partnerships with industry are necessary to build the skills base needed for economic recovery.

Senator Arbib said that there is a strong future for the apprenticeship system if we modernise the structure of apprenticeships and make the system more user-friendly for employers and apprentices alike.

“We need better pathways for younger and older workers to get into trade apprenticeships. We need a more seamless system and less red tape for employers.

“We need a focus on green skills for a cleaner, smarter economy and we need opportunities for apprentices to defer and to resume their studies, without penalty.”

Mr Clare said the Government also wanted to embed competency based progression and to lift completion rates through stronger mentoring, supervision and pastoral support.

The Australian Government is investing $5 billion over four years in Australian Apprenticeships and related programs.

The Government has committed an additional quarter of a billion dollars to support the apprenticeship system during the global recession and the Roundtable is a further demonstration of our commitment to working with industry, unions and employer groups to boost apprenticeships.

For information on apprenticeships visit www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au.

Media Contact:

media@deewr.gov.au 

Non-media queries: 1300 363 079

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced that the Rudd Government will invest $100 million in a new Apprentice Kickstart program to support up to 21,000 young Australians entering traditional trades this summer.

House of Representatives, 28 MAY 2009

House of Representatives, 28 MAY 2009