Apprenticeship Employment Network

AE News Volume 14, Issue 4

Friday, 5th February 2021
Hi Reader!

Upcoming Events

1457023190_Calendar

10 Feb – IR & FC Network Meeting

17 Feb – GTO Managers Meeting

17 Feb – QA Standards Network Meeting

Retrenched Apprentices and Trainees Program

Retrenched Apprentices and Trainees Program Banner
Retrenched Apprentices and Trainees Program
Now into its 9th month, the Retrenched Apprentices and Trainees Program has received over 640 registrations from apprentices and trainees who have been affected by the current economic crisis. Over 230 participants have now successfully re-commenced their apprenticeship or traineeship.
Top 3 sectors
  • Building and Construction
  • Electrical, Electronics and Utilities
  • Automotive and Boating
Top 3 Occupations
  • Electrical Trades
  • Plumbing and Roofing
  • Carpentry, Joinery and Cabinetmaking
First year apprentices make up over 45 percent of those seeking assistance and while regional Victoria has been affected slightly, the vast majority of participants are located in the Metro Melbourne area.

We have also seen employer confidence in the economy boost with more job vacancies being listed on last month. The register has had over 1700 job vacancies listed.

The program aims to assist apprentices and trainees who have lost their employment complete their training.
For Individuals

Apprentices and trainees who have lost their employment are encouraged to register.

Once on the register, apprentices and trainees will be assisted by one of our program officers until placed with a host employer through a Group Training Organisation (GTO) or directly with an employer whilst also directing you to the most appropriate advice and assistance while you remain out of employment.
For Employers

Employers who have job vacancies for apprentices or trainees can submit them on the vacancy register.

Our program officers will match your vacancy with suitable candidates for you to interview.

Employers may also be eligible for Australian Government incentives.

For further information or to register for the program please visit Apprenticeship Employment Network.

AEN 2020 Awards Finalists

AEN are proud to announce our 2020 Apprentices and Trainee award finalists.

This year we received over 48 nominations across the 7 award categories.
Apprentice of the Year

Certificate III Carpentry – G-Force
Benjamin Farrell

Certificate III Agriculture Mechanical Technology – Westvic
Joey Bowtell

Certificate III Light Vehicle Mechanic – WPC Group
Cain Turner

Certificate III Parks and Gardens – G-Force
John Hull

Certificate III Mechanical trade – WPC Group
Anthony Kasem


Certificate III Carpentry – Kestrel
Jack Meehan


Trainee of the Year

Certificate III Business - WPC Group
Jenny Diep

Certificate III Arboriculture – WPC Group
Katherine Knapman

Certificate IV Information Technology – G-Force
Jean-Pierre Last

Certificate III Business – G-Force
Chloe Joseph

Certificate III Business – WPC Group
Marcus Murphy

Certificate III Business – WPC Group
Cassandra Westwood


Overcoming Adversity Award

Certificate III Plumbing – VGT
Vuong Nguyen

Certificate III Carpentry – Kestrel
Jack Meehan

Certificate III Business – G-Force
Tiana Newton
Inspiration Women in Trades Award

Certificate III Arboriculture – WPC Group
Katherine Knapman

Certificate III Conservation land management – WPC Group
Sydney Voisey

Certificate III Joinery – VGT
Ebonie Innes

Certificate III Electrotechnology - BGT
Kyla Tatti


Indigenous Student of the Year Award

Certificate III Plumbing – BGT
Liam Proctor

Certificate IV Beauty Therapy – VGT
Charlie McDonough

Certificate III & IV Business – AGA
Nathan Damjan



School-based Apprentice / Trainee of the Year

Certificate III Business – Skillinvest
Madison Moorby

Certificate III Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanic – Westvic
Mitch McKinnis

Certificate III Electrotechnology - VGT
Tyler Michalik



Congratulations to all the finalists.

We look forward to inviting all finalists to attend our awards evening in March 2021 (COVID-19 restrictions permitting).

Further details and ticketing information will be available this year.

Upcoming Events

IR& FC Member Network Meeting
Numbers Limited
Date: Wednesday 10 February 2021
Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
Location: Video Conference & AEN Offices

GTO Managers & QA Standards Member Network Meeting
Numbers Limited
Date: Wednesday 17 February 2021
Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Location: Video Conference & AEN Offices

Apprenticeship Luncheon
Tickets will be on sale shortly
Date: Thursday 11 March 2021
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Melbourne Sheraton
AEN Annual Awards
Tickets will be on sale shortly
Date: Thursday 11 March 2021
Time: 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Melbourne Sheraton

OH&S Member Network Meeting
Limited Numbers
Date: Thursday 25 March 2021
Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
Location: Video Conference & AEN Offices

Members are able to register for all events on the AEN website.

Digital Skills Survey

As part of a project with Microsoft GAN Global, GAN Australia, GAN NZ and GAN Columbia are undertaking a small research project to better understand the digital skills landscape and the views of young people.

As a first step in the project we have developed a short online digital skills survey - feel free to pass this on.

Once participants complete the survey they receive direct access to the suite of free Microsoft training courses.
Digital Skills Survey

Driving Victorian Training and Skills Reform

Future Skills For Victoria
A major review commissioned by the Victorian Government to reform and revitalise our post-secondary education and training system has laid out a path to secure the skilled workforce Victoria needs into the future.

Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy – led by former Federal Minister Jenny Macklin was released on Wednesday this week – The report explored how the system can continue to support Victorian students, businesses and communities as those jobs come online.

Importantly, the review sought to provide confidence to jobseekers and employers, especially as Victoria responds to and recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
The report makes 30 recommendations for improving the training and skills system so it can deliver the skills Victoria needs now and into the future. Areas for reform include:
  • Establish a strong institutional base for a more collaborative skills system that can deliver the training requirements Victoria needs.
  • Build and share an evidence and data base that can support improved planning and decision making.
  • Begin development of an annual Victorian Skills Plan that sets out Victoria’s skills needs for the year ahead and beyond.
  • Encourage specialised labs with a focus on emerging industries, commencing with the Clean Economy, Care Economy and Digital Economy.
  • Strengthen on-the-ground support available to local learners and businesses.
  • Develop and share excellent curriculum and improve professional learning for VET practitioners.
The Government will now consider the findings of the review and respond within the coming months.

DESE VET Reform Surveys

Skills Ministers have committed to raising the quality of training delivered within the VET sector through revising the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 (the Standards), improving the capability and capacity of RTOs for continuous improvement and developing a VET Workforce Quality Strategy.

These reforms aim to improve the quality of training across Australia and help ensure the quality of training delivery goes beyond compliance with the requirements of the Standards and towards excellence in training provision.

The reforms will lead to a shared understanding across the sector of what high quality training provision looks like.

A key focus of the reform work will be to strengthen the Standards, to ensure they are focussed on outcomes and that the minimum level of quality that an RTO must meet in order to operate within the national training system, set by the Standards, is sufficient to ensure positive outcomes for learners.

The development of a VET Workforce Quality Strategy (the Strategy) recognises the important contribution trainers and assessors make to a high-quality VET sector.

Trainers and assessors are at the front line of training delivery and have a vital role in passing on industry relevant knowledge to learners to meet Australia’s employment and productivity needs.

The Strategy will aim to support RTOs and trainers and assessors to promote high quality, consistent training and assessment and support the diverse workplace roles within the sector.

These reforms build on findings from recent reviews within the vocational education and training (VET) sector such as the Review of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Braithwaite Review), the Expert review of Australia’s vocational education and training system (Joyce Review), and the Rapid review of the Australian Skills Quality Authority’s regulatory practices and processes (ASQA Rapid Review), which have highlighted opportunities to enhance quality in the VET sector.

More detailed information on these reforms to support feedback from the sector can be found here:
Have Your Say
We would like to hear the views of all stakeholders in the system. From RTOs, employers, trainers and assessors, to learners and their parents and carers, to schools and universities.

All participants in the VET sector are welcome to provide feedback.

Your feedback will help to shape these important reform measures and ensure changes to the system reflect the needs of the VET sector and its users.

Below is a list of the surveys currently open. This list will be updated as further opportunities to have your say become available.

Training Experience Survey
This survey seeks feedback on the experiences of anyone who has undertaken training (or their parents/carers) in the VET system in the last five years.

Closing Date - 12pm AEDT Monday 22 February 2021

RTO Standards Survey
This survey seeks specific feedback on the individual clauses and schedules of the Standards for Registered Training Organisation (RTOs) 2015 (the Standards) and is targeted towards active users of the Standards (eg RTOs, trainers and assessors, VET experts), although anyone who is interested may respond.

Closing Date - 12pm AEDT Monday 22 February 2021

RTO Quality Survey
This survey will seek feedback on what makes a quality RTO, including broad feedback around the Standards for RTOs.This survey is intended for all VET stakeholders.

Closing Date - 12pm AEDT Monday 22 February 2021

Supporting VET Workforce Quality Survey
This survey seeks feedback on different aspects of the VET workforce to inform the development of the VET Workforce Quality Strategy.

Closing Date - 12pm AEDT Monday 8 March 2021

Victorian Big Build Apprenticeships - New Website

Big Build Victoria
Recently the Department of Education and Training launched the Big Build Apprenticeships website.

The Victorian Government is providing up to 1500 apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities per year to help Victorians who are finishing school or looking to re-skill, to kickstart a career on some of the biggest and most iconic infrastructure projects in the state.

There is an expression of interest page for individuals and a wide range of information promoting the benefits of starting an apprenticeship.

AEN look forward to working with DET and Apprenticeships Victoria on this exciting program.

The Next Steps for Apprenticeships - OECD Report

The Next Steps For Apprenticeship
In a context of considerable interest in apprenticeships in recent years, Cedefop and the OECD decided to explore its future from the perspective of a number of megatrends, including sociodemographic changes, the accelerated adoption of emerging technologies and new forms of work organisation.

They also considered how these trends have affected, and will continue to affect, the design and delivery of apprenticeship in European and OECD countries.

The combination of the emerging economic crisis as an aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, together with long-term structural trends affecting global economies, will entail a profound transformation of the world of work and require effective policy responses in the years to come.

This publication provides insights from 16 papers by researchers from Europe, Australia and the United States; nine were presented and discussed among policy-makers, practitioners and researchers during the joint Cedefop-OECD symposium on the future of apprenticeship held in October 2019 in Paris.

Evidence and analysis in these papers will help inform political decisions shaping the future of apprenticeship.

More Support for Aboriginal Learners at all Victorian TAFEs

Three specialist Koorie staff members will be employed at every Victorian TAFE in the biggest expansion of support services for Aboriginal TAFE students in the state’s history.

Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney this week announced the allocation of $4.2 million to support up to 18 Koorie Liaison Officers and 32 new Koorie Student Support Officers.

Minister Tierney said it signalled a significant expansion of support staff across the sector which would grow Aboriginal student participation at TAFE, improve their educational outcomes and help create clearer pathways to the workforce.

SuniTAFE has reported an increase in its Koorie student cohort by 100 since a trial of the program began in 2017.

The funding will allow every Victorian TAFE to have a full-time Koorie Liasion Officer and two Koorie Student Support Officers from 2021.

Funding for Women's Leadership Development Available

Funding is available through Women & Leadership Australia to support the development of female leaders across Australia’s education, training and development sector.

The initiative is providing women with grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 to enable participation in one of three leadership development courses designed for emerging through to senior leaders.

The scholarship funding must be allocated by the end of March 2021.

Expressions of Interest
Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form here prior to 19th March.

NCVER Update

The latest data from Australia’s largest survey of VET students is now available.

Students who had undertaken training in qualifications, short courses, and individual subjects took part, with over 250 000 students completing the survey in mid-2020.

Results from the survey show the most common reason for undertaking training in a qualification was to get a job, whereas for those enrolled in short courses or individual subjects, it was because it was a requirement of their job.

The report also provides information on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected students’ employment and further study outcomes, which will help state and federal governments in planning for recovery.

Provision of foundation skills training by community education providers in regional Australia is a research that investigates the contribution that community education providers make to foundation skills training in regional Australia, the models of delivery that seemed to work best, and whether training helped build the social and human capital of the individual and broader community.
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