Apprenticeship Employment Network

AE News Volume 12, Issue 46

Friday, 6th December 2019
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Upcoming Events


6 December - AEN & GAN Australia Annual Awards Dinner
Click here for all upcoming events.

AEN Annual Awards - Finalists

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 tonight at Victorian Parliament House from 6:00pm - 10:30pm.

Read more about the finalists here.

New Commonwealth Department Structural Changes

On Thursday this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced major departmental structural changes that will impact the VET sector.

The existing Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business will be abolished and merged with the Department of Education to form the new Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

Small and family business will shift to a new Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

The creation of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, which will consolidate:
  • the current Department of Education; and
  • the current Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business.
The creation of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, which will consolidate:
  • the current Department of Agriculture; and
  • environment functions from the current Department of the Environment and Energy.
The creation of the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, which will consolidate:
  • the current Department of Industry, Innovation and Science;
  • energy functions from the current Department of the Environment and Energy; and
  • small business functions from the current Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business.
The creation of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, which will consolidate:
  • the current Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development; and
  • the current Department of Communications and the Arts.

The changes will take effect 1 February 2020. There will be no change to responsible ministers.

“Today, I am announcing changes to the structure of the Australian Public Service (APS) as part of our reform agenda to put Australians at the centre of Government. This morning, the Governor-General approved my recommendation to reduce the number of Government departments from 18 to 14, to ensure the services that Australians rely on are delivered more efficiently and effectively”

To see the full list of changes and the Prime Minister press release please see the article New structure of Government Departments.

2020 AEN Event Dates

February
12th - IR & Financial Controllers
18th - QA Standards Network and Competency Based Training Workshop

March
12th - Apprentice Luncheon

April
7th - OHS Network Meeting

June
18th & 19th - Mid-year Conference

July
14th - OHS Network Meeting
August
4th - Trade Women Australia
12th - QA Standards Network Meeting
20th & 21st - Field Officer Conference

September
9th - GTO Managers Meeting
15th - IR & Financial Controllers Network Meeting

November
10th - OHS Network Meeting
19th - AEN Awards
PD workshops will be announced throughout the year. Keep an eye on the AEN Event Calendar for updates.

SafeWork Australia & WorkSafe NSW

SafeWork Australia released a Labour Hire PCBU document approximately 12 months ago. The document looks at the relationship and responsibilities between the individual, host employer and employer (labour hire business).

Many of the items mentioned in the document relate to group training and NSW and ACT. The AEN have been working with SafeWork NSW to develop a specific Group Training PCBU document which was released this week.

GTOs in NSW should now be in the process include it as part of their dealings with host employers and to educate field officers further.

Victorian Labour Hire Update: End of Transition

The end of the transition period was commemorated by Minister for Industrial Relations, Tim Pallas and Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner, Steve Dargavel. You can find the Victorian Government media release here.

The Labour Hire Authority received 3841 licence applications during the six-month transition period - 37 percent of applications were submitted in the last 48 hours.

Late licence applications

The Authority thanks everyone who applied for a labour hire licence by the end of the six-month transition period. The Authority will prioritise the assessment of these 3841 applications.

The Authority is aware there are existing providers who fully intend to comply with the Act and wish to obtain a licence but were not able to apply by the end of the transition period.

It is vital to the success of the licensing scheme that all providers who are compliant with their legal obligations and who express an intention to continue to provide labour hire services in Victoria in accordance with labour hire laws are licensed.

It is for this reason the Authority has decided that, where a complete application is submitted to the Authority before midnight on 31 December 2019, and there is no evidence of non-compliance, it will not take enforcement action against a provider for providing services without a licence, or a host who enters into an arrangement with that provider.

This approach is in accordance with the guiding principles set out in the Authority’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy which is available on the Authority’s website and our key objective of protecting workers from exploitation, while operating in a fair and proportionate manner.

RMIT SVEHS Trades Awards 2019

On Friday 29th November on the rooftop of RMIT’s SAB Building, RMIT University celebrated their most successful Trades apprentices of 2019.

Students, teachers, families, industry partners, employers and special guests came together to celebrate the achievements of RMIT apprentices in the Electrical, Plumbing, Instrumentation, Carpentry & Refrigeration trades, as well as pre-apprentices. It was a proud moment to celebrate these achievements and the amazing support from peers, families and industry partners.
RMIT Trade Awards 2
Represented at the award presentation were numerous companies and apprenticeship support network providers with close industry connections to RMIT, including Cool Tools, Metricon, Milwaukee, Master Builders, Tradelink, Testo, Oritech, MEGT, Kirby, Endress + Hauser, AIRAH, VBA, WPC Group, The Adecco Group, AATIS. The event was also attended by special guests from the Department of Education.

Protech, along with many other companies, were successfully represented, with one of their apprentices taking home The Most Outstanding Student award in the Plumbing category.

Guest speakers included 2nd Year Electrical Apprentice at Frontline HR Mim Sowter and Jordan Attard Electrical/Instrument technician at Nufarm. Award presenters included Mish Eastman (Pro-Vice Chancellor of Vocational Education), Peter Ryan (Executive Director of Vocational Education) and representatives of our industry sponsors.
Students had the opportunity to network with industry professionals, with a breathtaking back drop of the city, showcasing the strong relationships between students, industry and the vocational education and training sector, whilst the weather held out for another remarkable event.
RMIT Trade Awards 1

Meet the New Team Members at ABBTF

Australian Brick and Block Training Foundation
ABBTF's main goal is to help support young Australian’s build a career in the building and construction industry, starting with an apprenticeship in bricklaying.

They aim to be the catalyst for recruiting the next generation of bricklayers, by providing a collaborative grassroots approach to construction workforce with a key focus on attraction, preparing, placement and retention strategies.
Michael Morrissey
Providing a plentiful supply of skilled Brick and Blocklayers to serve the brick manufacturing industry is one of the core functions of ABBTF.

They pride themselves on being able to connect and understand the bricklaying trade and build a relation with the Bricklayers and apprentices.

Their strong relationship has also been built on the engagement they have with key stakeholders – manufacturers, employers, apprentices, career advisors and teachers.

To build on their presence and national footprint, they have strengthened their teams with a focus to achieve their strategy in the upcoming years.

Please join them in welcoming their new team members Michael Morrissey, Rob Garrard, Paul Duggan and Mark Challenger.

ABBTF would like to introduce and welcome the new team members to the industry!

Michael joins with nearly 10 years in the building products industry and over 28 experience in senior management roles in various industry sectors.

Previously as a National Manager for Boral Masonry and Roofing, he managed both the concrete and clay roofing and masonry plants across the East Coast of Australia.

Michael is a strategic leader focused on driving people and performance outcomes. He is excellent at building and developing relationships.

Having qualified as a Mechanical Engineer and with a Master’s in Business Administration, Michael also has strong financial and technical skills required to manage the business goals and aspirations of ABBTF.

For further information please visit Australian Brick and Block Training Foundation.

Apprenticeships for Adults - International Report

A new report released by the Skills for Employment - International Labour Organisation (ILO) this week is the result of an explorative study, carried out at a time when interest in apprenticeship for adults was on the rise and research and evidence on the topic was scarce and fragmented.

It has explored the topic from a conceptual and theoretical point of view, reviewing relevant existing research. It has also considered a practical perspective, exploring policies EU countries and four non-EU countries have in place in relation to apprenticeship for adults.
Apprenticeship for Adults
It is the first report that addresses the topic from an EU-wide perspective.

Largely based on data collected in 2017-18, the report includes findings from a literature review and field work.

It confirms that adults increasingly participate in apprenticeship training, often due to policy interventions and measures that have removed barriers to such participation and provided incentives.

The study also confirms that EU countries are fundamentally divided into two main apprenticeship function groups, with two different approaches in aiding participation of adults in apprenticeship.

To access the free report please visit Skills for Employment.
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Head on over to GAN Australia and subscribe now.

NCVER Update

Snapshot of young Aussies leaving school

New data reveals around 69% of Australian 17-year-olds who planned to go to university when they finished school were at university one year later.

Generation Z: leaving school uses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) to explore young people’s experiences as they reach the end of their schooling years and begin to transition into post-school study and enter the workforce.

The survey also asks about young people’s living arrangements and shows that about a quarter of 18-year-olds from non-metro areas had left home compared with 9% from metro areas.

NEW REPORT: Government funding of VET 2018

In 2018, Government funding provided through VET appropriations and VET intergovernmental funding arrangements totalled $6.1bn, down 2.1% on 2017.

In addition, the Australian Government provided VET Student Loans and VET FEE-HELP loans to the value of $297.3m (down 40.8%) and Trade Support Loans to the value of $212.2m, up 13.9% on 2017.

The report Government funding of VET 2018 provides insight into the flow of funding in the public VET sector, including what activities were funded and how funding is distributed to training providers.

Qualification demand: what does it mean for VET?

The decade from 2006 to 2016 saw a big increase in the number of workers holding tertiary qualifications, with a far greater share holding higher education qualifications and a more modest increase for those whose highest credential was a VET qualification.

The decade from 2006 to 2016 saw a big increase in the number of workers holding tertiary qualifications, with a far greater share holding higher education qualifications and a more modest increase for those whose highest credential was a VET qualification.

The new report also reveals an emerging mismatch in terms of the skill level and relevance of qualifications held by workers and the skills required for their jobs, with many holding qualifications that notionally exceed these requirements.

Download the report on the NCVER Portal.

Latest data from the LSAY 2015 (Y15) cohort

The latest data for the LSAY Y15 cohort is now available for respondents who were, on average, 18 years old in 2018.
A number of new measures were added to the Y15 survey in 2018 including:
  • volunteering activities
  • health and physical activity
  • relationship and marital status
  • partner’s employment
  • number of children
  • housing payments
  • life satisfaction.
LSAY records for the Y15 cohort have also been linked to and are available from the following data sources:
  • Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) My School data
  • National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
  • National VET Provider Collection
Visit the LSAY website for more information on how to access and use LSAY data.

Thanks to our Industry Partners

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

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