Page 591 - Week 02 - Thursday, 24 March 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
COVID, and different teams have been affected at different times. We have kept a very close eye on it, and we have shifted resources to where they have been needed. But, as I have flagged, some of the transactions require training. It is not as if we can just move people and they can immediately take up the task. Access Canberra is working incredibly hard, and I take the opportunity to thank all of the teams in Access Canberra for their work and how they are supporting the Canberra community.
Employment—JobTrainer
MS ORR: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. Minister, how is the ACT’s JobTrainer program helping Canberrans to get a job and businesses to find the skilled workers they need?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Orr for her question. As the Chief Minister’s recent statement on the ACT’s economic development priorities highlighted, our economy is continuing to grow. We know that Canberra businesses are calling out for more skilled workers as our economy recovers from COVID-19.
As the Chief Minister also mentioned today in delivering the budget review, the unemployment rate in Canberra has dropped to three per cent, which is the lowest in the nation. The JobTrainer program provides free training in full qualifications, short courses and work readiness programs in areas of high skills needs, focused on both jobseekers and young people who may be looking to enter the workforce.
The current round of JobTrainer offers up to 1,000 free training places, in addition to the 2,800 that have already been taken up under JobTrainer 1. Since 2020, JobTrainer students have been able to study at CIT as well as through many of the local registered training organisations that we have here in Canberra. We know it is important to provide training locally, not only to support Canberrans who are ready for the jobs of the future but also to maintain strong links with local employers, to make sure that we are delivering the training that the industry needs.
Under JobTrainer 2, an extra requirement for RTOs applying under that program is that they demonstrate that there are employment outcomes at the other end for those who are undertaking training with them. The JobTrainer program is a great program. It is a great opportunity to get into free training, and I encourage any young Canberrans who are thinking about their plans for this year to jump online and find a great free qualification with a local skills provider.
MS ORR: Minister, what are the areas of skills needs that you are focusing on?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Orr for her supplementary. The ACT economy is currently experiencing high demand for workers across a range of different sectors. While many JobTrainer places are targeted at school leavers and jobseekers, this year’s round has expanded eligibility to anyone over the age of 17 in the areas of aged care, early childhood education and care and disability care, and also in digital skills, to reflect the importance of these skills to local businesses today, and to our economy in the years to come.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video