Joyce review contains an ominous message for the apprenticeship sector
Amid last night’s Budget, the federal government released the landmark review of the VET system undertaken by the former New Zealand Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce.
The 163-page report, Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System, dissects the VET system and seeks to rebuild a model suited to a more flexible work-based approach to skills training.
There is a dedicated section on apprenticeships and an assessment of the current incentive arrangements, as well as the role of Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) providers.
On the one hand, he notes concerns about “the effectiveness and patchiness of performance” of AASN providers, but also records first-hand accounts of their “passion” for the apprenticeship system.
Perhaps, most significantly for the apprentice employment sector, is Joyce’s recommendation for a set of new bodies, known as Skills Organisations (SOs).
It is clear that under the Joyce model, these new bodies would effectively take on many of the functions of AASN’s and, perhaps, GTOs.