The Weatherill Government’s much-hyped Skills For All program has been formally abandoned, with a new scheme – WorkReady – detailed today.
More than 350 of the 900 Government-subsidised training courses will be “reviewed” as part of the transition.
WorkReady will replace the existing regime from July 1 – a response, the Government says, to concerns from industry groups, employers and training providers about completion rates, employment outcomes and “a need to streamline courses to have industry relevance and target state priority areas”.
“We are facing increasing unemployment rates across the nation and have particular challenges here in South Australia with the closure of Holden and the cancellation of the Olympic Dam expansion,” Premier Jay Weatherill said in a statement.
“So we need to make sure that the training we are offering leads to jobs.”
Weatherill said an independent review of Skills For All found various courses were “out of alignment” with industry and Government needs.
Of the 900 courses currently subsidised, more than 200 have no students, while a further 150 are deemed to have failed to “align with the state’s economic priorities or industry needs”.
All of these will be reviewed, with a “refined” course list to be published next month.
“The training we will be providing will be directed towards the State Government’s 10 economic priorities – which are about making SA a place where people and business thrive,” Weatherill said.
While so-called “foundation skills courses” will remain free, subsidised qualifications will be “more closely focused on training for work in the fastest growing areas of the state’s economy”.
Those entering training will be assessed and referred to one of three streams: pre-entry level courses such as literacy and numeracy, apprenticeships and traineeships and higher-level qualifications for people seeking to reskill.
“We need people with the skills and knowledge to drive sectors like advanced manufacturing and higher-tech service industries,” said Employment and Skills Minister Gail Gago.
“In difficult circumstances, the Government has to focus its energy and resources on giving people the best chance of getting a job.”
While Labor has trumpeted the success of its skills program – including providing 100,000 training places ahead of schedule – it has been lambasted by the Opposition, which recently pointed out apprentice and trainee commencements and completions were at 10 and seven year lows, respectively.
