Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 2:53:58 to 3:03:29
The committee reviews apprenticeship methodology and engagement with the civil construction industry. Members question the funding and functions of the Human Ability Jobs and Skills Council.
Topics: Education, Employment, Grants administration
Speakers: Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Jennifer Wedinger, Anna Faithfull, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Unknown Speaker
>> Thank you. All right. So, sorry it wasn't a quan. It was just um there were questions that I had um answered in the last estimates. I've misread my first line here. Um so, uh this was about the uh civil contractor's uh skills. If you recall, we did we u and the qualifications you advised in June that the methodology underpinning the Australian apprenticeships priority list was under review. What specific progress has been made uh on that since June and which stages of the review have been completed and when when does the department expect to finalize
that work? Uh so I will just ask senator for my colleagues to come up and I might just uh senator also clarify the record when I talked about uh student outcomes as a proxy for uh free TA. So in SEA student outcome survey shows that um 76.2% of qualification park completers achieve their main reason for training. 76.3 were employed or in further study after training and 53.1% reported improved employment status and that's just for park completers and so there is also data that I can bring on full completion so that I just to sorry Senator Jim Price to your to the former question >> in terms of uh civil contractors and the apprenticeship priority methodology list I'll ask Miss Weta to give you an update on that process. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Senator Jennifer uh Wedinger. I am acting first assistant secretary of the apprenticeships industry and workforce division. Uh Senator, if I may, could I just um ask you just to repeat that question to try I answer your question properly.
>> So I'm asking about the methodology underpinning the Australian apprenticeships priority list and that I was told in June that that was under review. So I'm wondering what specific progress has been made with that since June.
>> Thanks very much, Senator. That's correct. So the methodology is under review. Um you'll be aware that uh there are a number of factors that we take into account when we are developing the priority list. Uh so in in terms of the methodology that was um announced that we were going to be doing that in the 202526 budget. Um and the data sources that we rely on um primarily are from the occupational shortage list which um jobs and skills uh Australia has just um released as well as the training occupation pathways. We have also undertaken um a range of targeted consultations. uh we are going to be included including in the next occupational list uh factors that reflect uh occupations that are of relevance and significance to first nations as well as women. We are uh in the process of completing those consultations and in terms of when the methodology will uh be finalized it will be published uh later this year and before it comes into effect on 1st of January 2027.
>> Thank you. I so in ESM in June I raised the concerns from the civil contractors federation who were anxious about there not being relevant classifications if that's the right terminology uh for the particular occupations that they have and and people were being mclassified. Um, has there been any progress in specifically in relation to civil contraction jobs, construction jobs
>> Uh, thank you, Senator. So, uh, given that the list, uh, hasn't been finalized yet, I can't comment specifically on whether civil contractors will be included or not in the next priority list. But what I can say is that um as the evidence that we gave uh on record last time is that we do um primarily rely on um Oscar major groups three and four when we are developing the priority list. Uh that's based on the fact that um you those uh levels are used primarily um and have the strongest apprentichip participation rates across the economy. So uh I I we will be relying heavily on major groups three
>> Has there been any engagement with civil contractors federation since June?
>> Yes, senator.
>> Okay. Thank you. Obviously there's uh jobs c um housing crisis. We need civil works done to for land developments. They're crying out for skills. They're crying out for staff. They want to train people but they um struggle because the the technical classification of those qualifications is not um not fit for purpose. Um uh you've answered that you've answered that. Have you assessed a category based approach to recognizing civil construction pathways rather than relying on a single nominated
So Senator, we have used the methodology that I that I outlined in terms of um relying on jobs and skills Australia's occupational um shortage list as well as um the top. Uh so in terms of um specifically with civil contractors, we haven't done any, you know, specific mapping. What I can say though is that um the government's election commitment, the advanced entry trades training program that civil contractors are eligible under that program uh in terms of uh potentially >> you know receiving assistance there.
>> Given the time I'm going to put the rest of those questions on notice. Can I go to just a different subject in relation to uh early childhood education care workers and their qualifications? I just want to ask about the Commonwealth funding of human ability uh and in particular its work on early childhood education and care qualifications. Um un can I continue? I understand that they are reviewing uh the Cert 3 and diploma qualifications for ECE public grant lists records of 54.55 million uh in a grant agreement through to June 28. Can the department outline what human ability is actually funded to do under that grant?
Uh, Senator, I might ask my one of my colleagues to come up. Um, but, uh, I think it might be easier just to take that on notice given it's just around a specific grant and that level of we we probably won't have that level of detail.
>> So, there are jobs and skills council. Is that right? >> So, even at a high level, you can't tell
me what. So uh so uh all jobs and skills councils have got two key functions. One is to uh engage in sectoral level workforce planning and uh projections and the other is to uh support the triparter consultation on training packages. Uh and there's obviously a nexus sometimes between those two pieces of work depending on the sector. So, uh, human ability has a large range of, uh, social services and care sectors that it's responsible for, uh, and, um, it's got quite a few different projects in the pipeline at the moment. So, we we we would need to take that on notice specifically.
>> Yeah. My my next question is go to some detail. So, I'll I'll I'll put those on notice then. So,
>> that would be great. Thank you.
>> We can um get a good answer. Thank you. Um, back to
>> Can I just check in? So we're seeking another rotation here for skills.
>> Apprentichip.
>> Um if you could just um just a reminder if you do feel like you may not need the last two agencies if you could let me know early just as sure. >> Got an hour to go and three more agencies to get through to this outcome.
>> Can we pause for like two seconds? >> Like as in broadcast.
>> Oh yes sure. Yes. Uh I'm able to advise uh with apology