Tasmanian apprentices – or lack of – have been thrust into the spotlight.
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Since The Examiner launched its Pick Up The Tools campaign on April 7, the conversation surrounding our apprentice and trades sector has gained momentum.
The campaign aims to examine the issues that have contributed to the shortage the state has found itself in.
On Sunday, that push was strengthened, when a politician added their voice to the debate.
Labor Training and Skills Development spokeswoman Anita Dow has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the apprentice and trainee shortage.
Ms Dow wants the inquiry to examine a range of factors, including wages, training pathways, and the prescribed number of apprentices and trainees that are assigned to government-run projects.
Ms Dow and the Tasmanian Labor Party have claimed that 1800 apprenticeships and training placements have disappeared in the state in the past four years.
This is a claim the state government has strongly refuted. Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said it was a “hypocritical stunt” from the opposition, which he claims oversaw the demise of 4000 similar positions when it was in power.
Mr Rockliff said he didn’t support an inquiry.
This sort of blame-shifting is to be expected, and especially in the wash-up of an election.
While we need politicians to help us find a solution to the shortage, we cannot let the issue become politicised.
Both parties have contributed to the current state, but both can contribute to its solution, too.
Through its campaign, The Examiner is calling for a concise funding model to flow through our Vocational Education and Training sector.
That’s why we need our state parties to be on the same page, to fight for the federal funding that TasTAFE needs and our apprentices deserve.
Increased funding is part of the solution.
We further need to examine issues that have steered businesses away from putting on apprentices and trainees.
Are we doing enough to support those undertaking apprenticeships and traineeships, and the facilities that deliver them?
There are a lot of questions that need answers. An inquiry is one way to get them.
