Queensland Skills Plan 2008 Launched The State Government’s new blueprint to address the State’s skills shortages – the Queensland Skills Plan 2008 – was launched on 29 August. Education and Training Minister Rod Welford said the new blueprint would build on the considerable progress made since the original Queensland Skills Plan was released in March 2006, when the State Government introduced the most significant reform to Queensland’s vocational education and training system in 40 years. The Queensland Skills Plan 2008 focuses on the five key areas of: • skilling existing workers and apprentices • training the unemployed and under-employed • helping young people move into further education, training and employment • upgrading the VET sector, and • recruiting for targeted professions. “To increase Queensland’s labour force participation rate the new Plan includes expansion of the Skills First program to encourage recognition of prior learning and a new Skills Bank for records of qualifications,” Mr Welford said. "New programs will help people in areas of disadvantage, skilled migrants, Indigenous people and 18 to 24-year-olds and will promote careers in nursing, engineering and ICT. “We will fund 450 training places for engineering associate professionals, 30 scholarships and 30 fellowships for vocational health educators, a new Nursing Clinical Education Best Practice program and we’ll bring together schools, VET, the higher education sector and industry to promote a more positive image of ICT,” Mr Welford said. “The Plan includes a dedicated Indigenous Employment and Training Strategy to boost the state’s employment and training of Indigenous people. “Assistance for young people will include paid work placements, expansion of the Get Set for Work program and a new electronic resource, the Youth Career Information Framework. “Under the new Plan modernisation of TAFE facilities will be accelerated with an investment of $280 million over the next four years, including $54.7 million in 2008-2009 for the four SkillsTech Australia campuses throughout the state.” Mr Welford launched the Queensland Skills Plan 2008 at the opening of the state’s first construction industry one-stop-shop career and skills service, the Workforce Solutions Centre, at Salisbury on Brisbane’s southside. To publicise the Plan to regional industry and training organisations, information sessions were held at a number of regional centres including Mackay, Mt Isa,Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Hervey Bay. Download a copy of the Queensland Skills Plan 2008 at

wwww.deta.qld.gov.au/skillsplan

New Opportunities for Unemployed and Under-employed The Queensland Skills Plan 2008 has a number of initiatives to increase job opportunities for unemployed and under-employed Queenslanders. A Skilling Assistance Package for Skilled Migrants has been developed to help lift this group’s workforce participation. The initiative will help improve the way the State Government informs migrants about job opportunities and assist them through gap training and bridging programs. It will include increased support for work experience and English language training, as well as making sure migrants can access opportunities for recognition of prior learning. Education and Training Minister Rod Welford said that women and Indigenous people continued to be under-represented in the trades. “Through the Queensland Skills Plan 2008 we will actively promote trades training to these groups,” he said. The Plan will offer pathways into mining sector employment for 240 Indigenous Queenslanders through subsidised pre-vocational training. Indigenous people are increasingly gaining jobs in the mining industry and helping ease critical labour shortages and a new skilling program has been developed to assist more to move into the industry. Mr Welford said the skilling program was a partnership between the State Government, the Queensland Resources Council and its member companies. “During the next two years it will prepare Indigenous students for vocational training in areas such as mining, civil construction, hospitality and business services,” he said. “As is usual with these programs, training providers will be required to offer culturally appropriate support, both during training and for a short period after job placement.”

www.deta.qld.gov.au/skillsplan

Shortages in Key Professions Tackled The Queensland Skills Plan 2008 addresses skills shortages in priority professions such as nursing, engineering and information and communications technology (ICT). The Plan aims to increase participation in higher education leading to professional qualifications. In the engineering field, 450 training places will be created over four years for associate professional occupations. This program is currently being developed in close collaboration with employers. Enrolments in nursing courses are failing to keep pace with retirements from a profession that is already feeling the impact of an ageing population. The State Government will offer 30 scholarships and 30 fellowships for vocational health educators over three years and develop more flexible pathways into nursing, which will lead to a greater range of specialisations. The Plan will also review and reform access to nursing courses and reform clinical education for nursing and midwifery through a Nursing Clinical Education Best Practice program. The ICT industry has expressed concern about a significant drop in higher education enrolments in recent years, with women particularly under-represented in the industry. It is estimated there is a shortage of 2,200 computing professionals in Queensland. With so many industries reliant on ICT professionals, the Plan also supports new skills formation strategies that will bring together schools, the VET and higher education sector and industry bodies to promote a positive image of ICT and the careers available.

www.deta.qld.gov.au/skillsplan

Industry Input Sought on Training The Queensland Government will spend more than $280 million over the next four years to continue modernising TAFE facilities as part of the Queensland Skills Plan 2008. The Plan will increasingly involve industry in the development of vocational training programs, including the release of training staff to industry to increase their skill levels. Education and Training Minister Rod Welford said one initiative was to set up local industry and community forums to offer input into the options for training delivery that is led by industry. Another initiative will see the creation of a VET Futures program, which will develop innovative training products and research support services to ensure VET teachers have the most up-to-date industry experience and teaching methods. Mr Welford said the Queensland Skills Plan 2008 would build on the successful Teach Your Trade initiative and introduce a new program to attract and retain TAFE staff. “Qualified teachers and trainers are fundamental to the VET system,” he said. “The new strategy will focus on attracting teaching staff in areas of emerging demand such as civil infrastructure and sustainable technologies.” The Queensland Skills Plan 2008 provides for ongoing investment in TAFE infrastructure, with $54.7 million to be spent on four SkillsTech Australia campuses in 2008-09. The reform of the TAFE system will continue, with more institutes to convert to statutory authorities following on from Southbank Institute of Technology and the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE.

www.deta.qld.gov.au/skillsplan

Indigenous Employment and Training Strategy Launched A new State Government strategy to increase employment and reduce unemployment among Indigenous people in Queensland was launched in Cairns on 4 September. Education and Training Minister Rod Welford said Positive Dreaming, Solid Futures – the Queensland Government’s Indigenous Employment and Training Strategy 2008-2011 represented a new and sustained effort to improve labour force participation by Indigenous people in the state. “The combination of the strength of the Queensland economy, low unemployment and skills and labour shortages gives us a unique opportunity to do something constructive to improve the livelihoods and prospects of Indigenous people,” Mr Welford said. “Skills training and jobs are fundamental to achieving economic and social wellbeing for both Indigenous people individually and communities. “During the process of consultations with Indigenous people in producing the Positive Dreaming, Solid Futures strategy, the overwhelming desire was to see a work-first focus. “There also needs to be improved targeting of government investment and mentoring for Indigenous enterprise development.” The strategy will reinforce existing positive initiatives and identify areas for improved cooperation, collaboration and new investment. There will be a particular emphasis on those individuals and communities that are locked into inter-generational unemployment due to multi-faceted social and life issues. Mr Welford said the Government needed to place greater priority on engaging business and industry in partnerships focused on placing Indigenous jobseekers into jobs. Target industries will include the resources, construction, tourism, primary industry and community services industries. Positive Dreaming, Solid Futures commits to four priority areas: • maximising employment through strategic alliances • skilling individuals for work • building capabilities in communities to enhance community and economic development opportunities • aligning employment support and training to the needs of Indigenous Queenslanders. The strategy will be accompanied by a multi-agency implementation plan, and led by the Departments of Education, Training and the Arts, and Department of Employment and Industrial Relations. For further information visit

www.deta.qld.gov.au/positivedreaming

10 Years of Mining Industry Training Excellence The Mining Industry Skills Centre Training Awards have gone from strength to strength in recent years and 2008 is no exception. This year’s winners will be announced at a dinner in Brisbane on September 26. The number of entries this year was again a record, with nominations received from Western Australia, Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland. Originally the awards were Queensland-based and focused on mining, but this changed as event organisers, the Mining Industry Skills Centre, began working across the country. The awards are now national and are open to the whole of the resources industry. Their greatest growth came between 2006 and 2007 when the number of nominations increased by 57 per cent. This year there were nearly 60 nominations. The awards recognise outstanding achievement and commitment by trainees, trainers, individuals and organisations in the Australian resources industry. For more information go to:

www.miskillscentre.com.au

Course Entices Snowfield Workers to 'Hot' Jobs Hospitality workers at New South Wales Snowy Mountains ski resorts are being targeted by Queensland’s tourism industry for jobs in this state. Two separate initiatives launched by the Queensland industry are both aimed at attracting New South Wales hospitality employees. A special TAFE diploma course is being developed, offering less-qualified casual ski industry workers the opportunity to do work placements on the Gold Coast. In addition, Tourism Whitsunday is actively promoting post-ski season jobs in its region to hospitality workers currently at Snowy Mountain resorts. Both projects are initiatives of the statewide Tourism Skills Formation Strategy. The industry is now driving planning for tourism’s future staffing and training needs in Queensland after the strategy transitioned to industry last February. The new TAFE course – an 18-month advanced diploma course in hospitality management – is being established by Gold Coast Institute of TAFE (GCIT) in partnership with New South Wales’ Illawarra TAFE Institute (Cooma Campus). Part of a project colourfully named Fire and Ice, it involves both TAFEs linking with a Cooma training provider and labour hire company, Snowy Staff, to offer course students work placement and employment in the New South Wales ski resorts and the Gold Coast tourism, hospitality and events industry. The recruitment drive by Tourism Whitsunday has involved the organisation promoting job opportunities in New South Wales at the start of the new ski season. It set up a display at the Jindabyne pre-season expo in late June, offering to put interested hospitality workers in touch with potential Whitsunday employers. Janniene McDonald of the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE said planning was well advanced for the new diploma course to begin in February next year. “There has been fantastic interest in Fire and Ice from our Queensland industry, and of course our Snowy region partners are strongly committed,” Ms McDonald said. She added that other Queensland regional tourist organisations were watching very closely to see how the initiative works out. Fire and Ice and the Tourism Whitsunday initiative have developed as part of the Queensland tourism industry’s response to shortages of skilled workers, a problem not helped by current cross-border skills transfer arrangements. Robyn Keenan, Queensland Tourist Industry Council skills link manager, said the joint diploma project with Illawarra TAFE was an exciting initiative, strongly supported by the Council because it would help make industry workers more mobile. The Gold Coast TAFE received federal funding to develop the project as a best practice inter-state training collaboration. For more information on Fire and Ice contact Janiene McDonald of Gold Coast Institute of Tafe on 5581 8795.

www.goldcoast.tafe.qld.gov.au

More Trade Apprentices and 'Fast Finishers' A new national analysis shows trade apprentices are again on the increase and greater numbers are completing their training faster. In the 12 months to December 2007, trade training commencements were 6 percent higher than 2006 at 82,900 and almost double the 41,800 commencements in 1997, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) reported. A centre spokesman said the 11 years of data available to it showed a steady trend of increasing numbers of trade apprentices, reflecting the demand for these skills by employers. The new statistics also showed trade apprentices were completing full trade qualifications faster. In 2007 over a quarter (28 percent) of all trade apprentices completed their training in two years or less. In 1997, around one in six (17 percent) completed a trade apprenticeship in two years or less. The new data also showed that the drop out rate for trade apprentices in the first 12 months is slightly lower than the average for all trainees. Within a year of starting, the attrition rate for trade apprentices was 28 percent, compared with an average of 30 percent for trainees in all occupations. Broader analysis of apprenticeship and traineeship data also reveals that the completion rate for trade apprentices is just under 50 percent. Some trades, notably engineering, printing and electrical have higher completion rates. For more about the report go to:

www.ncver.edu.au

Training Helps Sustain Biotech Bubble A new vocational graduate diploma course in biotechnology developed at Southbank Institute of Technology (SBIT) will put Queensland even further ahead of other states in developing skills in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Queensland is the only state or territory offering high level training to scientists and laboratory technicians in these burgeoning industries. The 12-month graduate diploma course is expected to be accredited soon by TAFE Queensland, with SBIT introducing a six-month Vocational Graduate Certificate in Applied Biotechnology course focusing on regulatory compliance earlier this year. Queensland leads Australia in the manufacture of complementary medicines and generic pharmaceuticals. However, the State Government and industry agree that education and training for these industries – as well as for the emerging applied biotechnology sector – are failing to meet industry requirements for work-ready graduates. Latest available figures show Queensland has more than 2,500 establishments in the therapeutic medicines and devices industry. In 2005-06 they contributed $1.689 billion to Queensland’s economy. SBIT is the state’s lead training provider for the sector and reports that 98 per cent of its graduates are employed within six months. Earlier this year the Department of Education, Training and the Arts funded 20 cadetships linked to the Vocational Graduate Certificate in Applied Biotechnology, as part of its support for one of Queensland’s fastest growing industry sectors. The development of these cadetships is a direct result of the work from the Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals Skills Formation Strategy — jointly funded between the Department of Education, Training and the Arts and the Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry — which transitioned to industry ownership early in 2007. One of these cadetships was awarded to Brisbane woman Jozefina Uksanovic-Barnjak (pictured) and gave further impetus to her career in biotechnology. Mrs Uksanovic-Barnjak came to Queensland from Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1998 to discover her degree in veterinary science wasn’t recognised here. She is now a team leader at Q-Gen Pty Ltd, which provides manufacturing services to the bio-therapeutics industry, and was recommended for the cadetship by company executives. The mother of three previously gained a Diploma in Applied Science at SBIT. Of the cadetship, she says modestly: “My boss saw my potential and wanted me to flourish a bit.” Globally, the complementary and alternative medicine sector is enjoying double-digit growth. International trends contributing to this growth include expansion in the production and consumption of generic pharmaceuticals, the concept of personalised medicine (or pharmacogenomics), and a switch to over-the-counter status for many medicines. As well as being the national leader in production of complementary medicines, Queensland is also a centre for clinical trials of pharmaceuticals. Since last year, when the industry took responsibility for its staffing and training needs, the key body driving this has been the Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Industry Forum (QPNIF). Formed in July 2006, the Forum comprises industry stakeholders and representatives from universities, TAFE, private training providers and government. Projects carried out in the first year focused on skills and workforce development issues. In developing and launching its advanced training programs, Southbank Institute of Technology has partnered with companies such as Symbion, Sigma Herron, ALS, Alphapharm, Q-Gen and others. Southbank Institute of Technology provides a broad range of training for the sector including courses for quality assurance relating to microbiology, chemistry laboratory, stability programs, method development and compliance. For more information about SBIT training and the cadetship program, go to:

http://www.southbank.edu.au/site/programs/vgq/

Still Too Much Workplace Bullying: Ombudsman The Queensland Training Ombudsman Peter Ruhanen has criticised “archaic” employer attitudes towards apprentices and trainees which he believes contribute to persistently high drop-out rates. He said it was an unfortunate fact that old-fashioned bullying and harassment still drove many young people away from their chosen trade or career. “Some companies still don’t seem to have worked out that you can’t demean young workers or allow their workmates to do this – today’s Y generation just won’t put up with it,” Mr Ruhanen said. “The older generation may think it’s all character building, but young people will stand up for themselves – just as we have encouraged them to.” Mr Ruhanen said the widely publicised experience of a young New South Wales apprentice cabinet maker abused by his employer, was a worst-case example of what was inappropriate in today’s workplace. The owner of the Ballina company was alleged to have controlled even minor aspects of the teenage apprentice’s life, banning personal phone calls during breaks, forcing the young man to have frequent hair-cuts and even telling him he couldn’t put fresh tomato on his sandwiches at lunch-time. “This sort of abusive, controlling behaviour is totally unacceptable,” Mr Ruhanen said.   “Young people aren’t as resilient as mature adults and the boss who does this sort of thing doesn’t realise how damaging it is to the person. “Fortunately, employers like this are in the minority. Most are supportive people who realise a qualified young person with fresh skills is going to be a great company asset.” Mr Ruhanen said that apart from the humane aspect, Queensland’s current skills shortage and ageing workforce meant the state could not afford to have qualified young people drop out of traineeships or apprenticeships. In June last year a strategy to counter harassment of apprentices and trainees, Train to Retain, was launched by the Department of Education, Training and the Arts in response to recommendations by the Queensland Training Ombudsman. The initiative provides a framework to help Queensland businesses ensure their workplace is one which supports and encourages apprentices throughout their training. Mr Ruhanen said it was too early to say whether the plan was taking effect, but it had raised awareness of the problem right across business and industry. For more information about the Train to Retain Action Plan visit:

www.trainandemploy.qld.gov.au/traintoretain

Training Award's Showcase State's Best Queensland’s top employers, apprentices, trainees, vocational students and training providers were showcased as the state’s best, after taking out 2008 Queensland Training Awards in a Brisbane ceremony on 11 September. The prestigious Employer of the Year aware went to Brisbane based company Stowe Australia of Eight Mile Plains, the nation’s largest privately owned electrical and communications contractor. Stowe Australia delivers specialist services for a range of private and public markets including defence, mining and urban infrastructure. The company has been providing long-term career pathways for its staff since George Stowe employed his first apprentice in 1914. Today, Stowe Australia employs more than 400 full-time staff in Queensland, including 110 apprentices and hopes its continued investment in human resources will ensure ongoing success. Small Employer of the Year was taken out by Surrender Dorothy Hairdressing of Pomona, which opened for business in the small Sunshine Coast village just three years ago. Proving that location isn’t everything, the company has won 16 hairdressing awards and four major business accolades, operating from a small laneway with no shop frontage in the industrial side of town. Surrender Dorothy employs nine staff and teaches up to 150 hairdressers through its education academy. The Apprentice of the Year award was added to a growing trophy collection at the home of young Wide Bay mother, Rachel Niemann (pictured). While Ms Niemann was a stay-at-home mother looking after her two young sons, she renovated her home and built a new kitchen using plywood and basic hand tools. This experience encouraged her to become a qualified cabinetmaker. Employed at Hatchetts Joinery in Murgon, Ms Niemann has won several local apprenticeship awards and is now studying for a Certificate IV in Small Business Management to further boost her skills.   All Queensland Training Awards winners can now enter the Australian Training Awards which will be presented in Darwin on 20 November this year. The full list of winners: Small Employer: Surrender Dorothy Hairdressing, Pomona. Employer: Stowe Australia, Eight Mile Plains. Public Training Provider: Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE, Mount Gravatt. Private Training Organisation: First Impressions Resources, Brisbane. Skilling for the Future Award: My Other Mum Childcare – Working with Schools Initiative, Woree. Premier’s Innovation in Skilling Award: Glendyne Education and Training Centre - Glendyne Employment Initiative, Nikenbah Apprentice of the Year: Rachel Niemann, Murgon. (Training provider: Skills Tech Queensland. Qualification: Certificate III in Furniture Making - Cabinet Making. Employer: Wide Bay Group Training Scheme Ltd). Trainee: Matthew Graham, Bundamba. (Civil Train. Certificate III in Civil Construction – Pipelaying. Southern Regional Water Pipeline Alliance). Vocational Student: Jeni Wycha, Greenbank. (Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE. Certificate III and IV in Information Technology – Networking. School-based Apprentice or Trainee: Rohan Greer, Cambooya. (Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE. Certificate III in Electro-technology Systems Electrician. Harristown State High School. Downs Group Training. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student: Bernard Pope, Maryborough. (Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE. Diploma of Nursing).

www.qta.qld.gov.au

Technology Talkfest is Interactive A technology conference of particular interest to the vocational education and training field will be held at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast from 5-7 November. Now in its 11th year, the Learning Connections conference offers more than an opportunity to investigate new and emerging learning technologies and their use, with participants able to interact with trainers and TAFE teachers. This year’s keynote speakers are Canadian based writer and researcher on digital environments, George Siemens, who will address the characteristics of learning networks, how they differ from social networks and how teachers can utilise these different attributes for teaching and learning; and a Seattle, US based specialist in online communication, Nancy White, who will analyse the dynamics of online communities. TAFE Queensland Videolink is a partner in the event. For more information, or to register online, go to:

www.learningtechnologies.com.au

Training Program Boosts RPL Skills A new skills development program for staff of registered training organisations (RTOs), will help them to conduct more effective recognition of prior learning (RPL) assessments. The one-day program is planned to support the initial series of Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET)-Skills First RPL sessions held in 2007 and the first half of 2008.   It is designed around two of the main considerations of the RPL project: improving the capabilities of private RTOs to provide fast and effective RPL; and development of diverse operating models to suit a wide range of industry clientele. Dates and locations: Townsville, 16 September 2008 Brisbane, 19 and 26 September and 25 November Cairns, 30 September Mackay, 21 October Bundaberg, 23 October Gold Coast, 11 November Toowoomba, 13 November  Sunshine Coast, 18 November  Mt Isa, 5 December The cost for the one-day program is $22 per session ($44 per day). To register contact Stephanie Richardson at stephanie.richardson@acpet.edu.au or phone 07 3210 1628. ACPET’s annual conference was held in Hobart from 28–30 August and featured a range of informative plenary and workshop sessions. For more information visit

www.acpetconference.info

New Booklet Outlines Older Workers' Options A new State Government publication outlines the many options open to older Queensland workers wanting alternatives to full-time work. The pocket-sized handbook targets mature-age employees starting to think about retirement or looking for flexible approaches to their careers. Produced by the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (DEIR), it gives people options to consider like flexible work arrangements, mentoring, job redesign and retraining and includes inspiring testimonials from older workers who have chosen to remain in the workforce. It is a ‘sister’ publication to a booklet produced by DEIR in April this year, A guide to recruiting, retraining and retaining mature-age employees. The new booklet is called What are your options as an older worker? Its foreword says employers who talk with their mature-age employees about strategies to keep them in the workforce – like flexible work arrangements or redesigning jobs to better suit any changing physical capabilities – benefit from retaining staff at a time of skills and labour supply shortages, holding on to valuable skills, knowledge and experience. Dirk Wagensveld, who features in the handbook, has worked for waste management, recycling and environmental services company J.J.Richards for over 30 years and at 65 years of age has a wealth of experience, skills and knowledge. Mr Wagensveld works a compressed four-day week at the engineering plant in the Brisbane suburb of Underwood and for one of those days he mentors trainees from Woodridge State High School. Some of these students will eventually move into jobs with the company. “If I can make someone’s job easier I’m happy to show others,” Mr Wagensveld said. He said he would rather be at work than retired at home. “It’s better than taking up a hobby, which usually costs money. I like working with my hands, I find it very satisfying and I can come to work and get paid for it.” Mr Wagensveld’s employer has redesigned his job to reduce the heavy work and given him the option to cut back to three days a week further down the track if he wants. “I’m still here for a bit more,” the experienced worker said. “There are a lot of nice people here and I still have a few things to offer.” The booklet was produced as part of the State Government’s Experience Pays Awareness Strategy which promotes the value of older workers to employers and the community and encourages mature-age people to remain in or re-enter the workforce. The Strategy is part of the State Government’s Queensland Skills Plan 2008. For more information on the Strategy or to get a free copy of the employee handbook What are your options as an older worker? call 1800 630 647 or visit:

www.experiencepays.qld.gov.au

Website for VET Sector Professional Development The Queensland VET sector now has a dedicated professional development website designed to support the implementation of the new Professional Development Strategy for the Queensland VET sector. Users of the site include teachers, trainers, educational managers and administrative staff within both the public and private VET sectors. The website’s search function allows users to find professional development opportunities that are currently being offered by reputable providers. The website also provides users with access to research and resources that support the four key priority areas identified by the VET Professional Development Strategy: teaching, learning and assessment; leadership; industry currency; and client, business development and quality Improvements. The VET Professional Development website can be accessed from the link below. For further information about the VET Professional Development website email vetpd.info@deta.qld.gov.au

www.vetpd.qld.gov.au