Apprenticeship Employment Network

AE News Volume 12, Issue 43

Friday, 15th November 2019
Hi Reader!
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Upcoming Events


26 November - Confidence, Self Esteem & Assertiveness Workshop
6 December - AEN & GAN Australia Annual Awards Dinner
Click here for all upcoming events.

AEN Annual Awards - Finalists Announced

This year we received a record number of 52 nominations for our awards including 17 nominations for apprentice of the year and 14 nominations for trainee of the year.

This highlights the great work many GTOs are doing and the high calibre of our youth.

The 2019 AEN Award finalists are:

Apprentice of the Year - Sponsored by Apprenticeship Support Australia
Ben Farrell - Gforce Employment Solutions
Jessica Scott-Smith - Programmed Skilled Workforce Ltd
Maxwell Mitchell - Gforce Employment Solutions
Ryan Kurray - Westvic Staffing Solutions
Sophia Law - Gforce Employment Solutions
Youssef Batal - AGA Australia

Trainee of the Year - Sponsored by VicSuper
Akhila Nilakantan - Programmed Skilled Workforce Ltd
Ashleigh McCafferty - Westvic Staffing Solutions
Katharine Knapman - WPC Group
Sian Prangnell - AGA Australia
Talei Winning - AGA Australia
Zara Hogan - Kestrel Apprentice Solutions

School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year - Sponsored by Australian Super
Ashcka Woods - Skillinvest
Beau Gibbs - Westvic Staffing Solutions
Heidi Rasmussen - Gforce Employment Solutions

Inspiration Award: Indigenous Student of the Year - Sponsored by Apprenticeship Support Australia
Ashcka Woods - Skillinvest
Danae McDonald - Skillinvest
Jessiah Lymburner - Ai Group Apprentice and Trainee Centre
Joshua Coulson - WPC Group
Kayleigh Gallagher - WPC Group

Inspiration Award: Overcoming Adversity - Sponsored by RMIT University
Annabel Humble - AGA Australia
Hari Acharya - MEGT Australia Ltd.
Jessica Scott-Smith - Programmed Skilled Workforce Ltd
Luke Stephenson - Skillinvest
Shantelle Spiteri - WPC Group
Sian Prangnell - AGA Australia

Inspiration Award: Woman in Trades - Sponsored by AATIS
Caitlin Allsopp - WPC Group
Jessica Scott-Smith - Programmed Skilled Workforce Ltd
Shannon Distefano - MEGT Australia Ltd.
Sheree Leen - Gforce Employment Solutions
Sophia Law - Gforce Employment Solutions

GTO Service Excellence - Sponsored by Bunnings Warehouse
AGA Australia - Supporting Disadvantaged Workers in Major Projects
Programmed Skilled Workforce Ltd - Indigenous Advancements Strategy
Westvic Staffing Solutions - Shaping Futures Pilot Program

Congratulations to all the finalists, and we look forward to showcasing everyone on the 6 December.

Early bird tickets are available until 22 November. Purchase 8 or more tickets to receive a 10% discount. **Discount will automatically be applied to your order at checkout.

AEN Members: Please Login prior to purchasing tickets to access the member rate.

Tickets are on sale on the AEN Event Calendar.

AEN Mini Conference and AGM

AEN Mini Conference - Steven Joyce
On Wednesday afternoon this week we held our end-of-year mini conference and annual general meeting.

A big thank you to Carl Walsh from the Department of Education and Training and Hon. Steven Joyce as our key speakers.

Members can access the presentations from the Members Area of the website.

The 2018-19 Annual Report was presented and passed by the membership at the AGM.

Victorian Government Announce New School Career Strategy

DET Transforming Career Ed in Vic Gov Schools
Last week the Victorian Government announced its new secondary school career strategy.

Career education in government schools is being transformed to ensure students:
  • have the skills and capabilities to navigate multiple careers, and
  • meet the challenges of the rapidly changing world of work.
A suite of new initiatives will ensure students:
  • have access to high-quality career education, and
  • make more informed career and pathway decisions to prepare them for life beyond school.
These new initiatives will focus on three key areas of reform:
  • Start early: Career education will be comprehensive. A decision-making process will start in year 7 and result in students being able to make confidently informed subject, course and career choices in later years of school and beyond.
  • Connect to work: Career education will enhance students’ quality engagement with the world of work. It will give them opportunities to see and experience different jobs. These explorations are vital to assist students in making informed career decisions.
  • Make career education a priority: Build the capacity of our career education system to support our government schools to deliver high-quality career education by training more than 400 careers practitioners across four years.
To access the full plan please visit the Department of Education and Training - Transforming career education.

Victorian Government - VCAL Review to Improve Learning and Pathway Options

The Victorian Government will review the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Victorian schools, to ensure all students can choose a path through senior secondary school that offers a high-quality qualification providing the technical and practical skills that our economy needs.

This major review of VCAL and VET in schools will make reform recommendations to improve transitions for students between school, further training or education, and work.

The VCAL Review will also examine how students can be better supported to make informed decisions about their pathways, and the benefits of applied learning.

The review will consider the future role of VCAL and look at how it can improve students’ success in further education, training or employment once they have finished school.

It will also work to improve the consistency of vocational education and training across Victorian schools, and the links to employers and industry.

VCAL is undertaken by thousands of students each year and enables students to access and complete apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and employment. More than 20,000 students enrolled in a VCAL certificate last year.

VCAL is a “hands-on” option for students in Years 11 and 12 and gives them practical work-related experience as well as literacy and numeracy skills.

Vocational education delivered to school students allows students to receive nationally recognised qualifications and provides an opportunity for students to receive credit towards their VCE or VCAL.

John Firth, former CEO of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will lead the review. He will be supported by a reference group including representatives from schools and industry, along with experts in the economy and employment.

A final report will be completed in May 2020.

ILO Launches New Statistics Portal

ILOSTAT - Country Profiles Page
A new ILO website provides a wealth of labour data for a range of users including labour researchers, journalists, experts who want to produce their own data, as well as the general public.

It is a one-stop shop to obtain labour data and learn about labour statistics. ILOSTAT provides bulk downloads for those who need large datasets and detailed cross-tabulations.

It is also an invaluable tool for data producers, who can find data collection guidance and other resources.

What is the unemployment rate in your country? What proportion of children are engaged in economic activity, what is the average earning of employees, what is the proportion of women in management? The answers to these and many more questions can be found on the site.

Statistical information can be accessed by country, or by key topics – such as employment, working poor, union membership and child labour – and includes data tables, concepts, methods and publications. The ILOSTAT Country Profiles are also available on mobile devices via a free app.

To access the new statistics portal please visit ILOSTAT.

New Report: Opportunities in Change- Responding to the Future of Work

This report provides a snapshot of today’s Australian labour market, the forces that are shaping it, and the blind-spots that need to be addressed if we are to succeed in a competitive and disruptive 21st Century global economy.

Key findings:
  • Australian workers, industries and governments will continue to be challenged by technological disruption for the foreseeable future.
  • It’s not just the gig-economy that’s driving change: while platform work has emerged and is here to stay, traditional employment relationships still dominate the Australian labour market.
  • A focus on people, not only jobs is key. Government policy should reflect this reality. People need to be invested in from early childhood education through to retirement to ensure Australia’s labour force is engaged in lifelong learning. This will equip them with key skills to adapt with change.
  • Around 8 per cent of Australians are employed as ‘independent contractors’, with slightly over 100,000 workers employed full-time in the ‘gig economy’. Almost 2.6 million Australians, around 20.6 per cent of the workforce, are employed on a casual basis.
  • Those who do work as contractors often miss out on basic workplace entitlements, such as leave or superannuation. Australia’s entitlement framework and industrial relations system needs improvements to remain relevant in the future – as labour markets change and become more flexible.
  • An increasing number of independent contractors are not adequately covered by workers compensation, nor the types of insurance usually attached to superannuation accounts. Government should work towards strengthening and harmonising Australia’s complicated and multi-faceted workers’ compensation framework in response to the rapidly changing nature of work.
  • Australian workers are underutilised, with many engaging in freelance work in addition to their main occupation. More than 40 per cent of millennials are believed to have freelanced in some capacity.
  • Despite predictions of widespread workplace disruption, more than a quarter of Australian workers believe their job will continue to exist in 50 years’ time. This risks leaving Australian workers complacent, and may affect their participation in life-long learning and upskilling.
  • The Australian workforce is increasingly mobile: the Department of Jobs and Small Business estimated that there are more than 4 million movements into, out of and between jobs in the Australian economy every year.
  • Government has a key role to play – but industry must step up to the challenge, too. Both Government and industry need to explore how to embrace innovation while ensuring workers don’t get left behind. Australia could be doing more to innovate and respond to the changing nature of work.
To access the full report please visit the Analysis & Policy Observatory website.

Have Your Say on the Co-design of the National Careers Institute, National Skills Commission and Skills Organisations

Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Banner

Online Submissions Extended To 22 November

Over the past two months, the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business have been listening to hundreds of people and organisations across Australia on the co-design of future improvements to the skills sector.

Attending the department's workshops isn’t the only way you can contribute – online submissions can be made to the National Skills Commission and Skills Organisations until 22 November.

Discussion papers are available using the below links:

Opportunities to contribute to the co-design of the National Careers Institute will remain ongoing.

If you have any questions, you can get in contact with the department at codesign@employment.gov.au.

Hearing from all parts of the system and all parts of the country will help ensure that the department can deliver the training and skills outcomes that Australia needs.

Final Call: Last Chance to Register for Scholarships

Women currently working in the training and development sector have a final opportunity to register their interest in a scholarship worth up to $7,000 to support participation in an accredited leadership development program.

Funding must be apportioned by the end of 2019 and it is unsure when these grants will be available again.

Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form prior to 5pm on December 6 at Women & Leadership Australia.
GAN Subscribe to Newsletter
Do you want to be kept up to date with everything that’s happening with GAN Australia and the wider VET sector?

Head on over to GAN Australia and subscribe now.

NCVER Update

Government-funded students and courses - January to June 2019

This publication provides a summary of data relating to students, programs, subjects and training providers in Australia’s government-funded vocational education and training (VET) system (defined as Commonwealth and state/territory government-funded training).

The data in this publication cover the period of 1 January to 30 June 2019. For comparative purposes, it also examines this data against previously submitted data for the 1 January to 30 June 2015 to 2018 periods.

Highlights
In the first six months to 30 June 2019, 826 500 students were enrolled in government-funded vocational education and training (VET). They included:
  • 799 000 students enrolled in nationally recognised training
  • 52 300 students enrolled in non-nationally recognised training.
Government-funded program enrolments comprised:
  • 91.2% in nationally recognised programs
  • 4.9% in locally developed programs
  • 3.9% in other non-nationally recognised programs.
88.3% of program enrolments were in qualifications:
  • 80.4% were in training package qualifications
  • 8.0% were in accredited qualifications.

AEN Upcoming Events & PD Sessions

We have a busy end to the year planned with plenty of member network meetings and professional development sessions scheduled.

Check out the list of upcoming events below and go to our Events Calendar to RSVP.

Confidence, Self Esteem & Assertiveness Workshop - Tuesday 26 November
2019 Awards Dinner - Friday 6 December

Thanks to our Industry Partners

aatis
ApprenticeshipSupportAustralia
AustralianApprenticeshipsPathways
AustralianSuper
Bunnings-Warehouse-Logo-Small
EML
Marsh
SafetyFirst
VicSuper
VictorianChamberOfCommerceAndIndustry
WorkSight

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