Page 1620 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 17 May 1994
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We are going to get a better trained work force and a better quality product out of this, and we are going to do a great deal to see that people who are presently unemployed develop skills to keep them on the job. Mr Moore also mentioned the matter of need. I think that has been well explained. I think it has been covered. There is demonstrably a need. The vast bulk of the work force in the building industry is inadequately trained. They have not had the opportunities available to apprentices, and this training is to improve that.
There is one further example. Mr Lamont gave it and I will restate that. There have been in the last couple of years a couple of collapses of building firms. That happens periodically. It is said that it is due to the cyclical nature of the industry, but in fact the firms obviously were not well enough managed.
Mr Kaine: Is this levy going to fix the management of private corporations?
MR WOOD: Yes. I just wish you were not so foolish. Not everybody has the natural skills of Mr Westende in running a business. The training that is provided here will be provided at all levels - not just to the people building the place but to people managing it, the middle level, the whole raft of people. Management will improve as a result of this.
To answer Mr Moore's question about the competency development service, it will coordinate all training for the industry, manage the infrastructure, assess credentials, maintain a database, provide career advice and so on. I will give you more detail later on. Mr Moore asked about need, and I think I covered that. The need is there. We need higher quality. We need a higher level of skills amongst the young people. Madam Speaker, this is an important Bill to improve considerably the general level of skills in our work force, in particular in the very important building industry. I think it is important that this Assembly support this legislation.
Question put:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 8 NOES, 9
Mr Berry Mrs Carnell
Mr Connolly Mr Cornwell
Ms Ellis Mr De Domenico
Ms Follett Mr Humphries
Mrs Grassby Mr Kaine
Mr Lamont Mr Moore
Ms McRae Mr Stevenson
Mr Wood Ms Szuty
Mr Westende
Question so resolved in the negative.
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