The National Australian Apprenticeships Association represents the organisations that deliver
Minister Brendan O’Connor today launched a future directions paper on Apprenticeship Support Services.
The Association warmly welcomes the focus on putting the apprentice at the centre of the service and ensuring that all apprentices who face additional barriers to completion have access to quality targeted mentoring and personalised assistance.
The focus during COVID was to ensure that apprenticeship commencements remained strong during uncertain economic times.It now makes sense to rebalance the system to ensure more apprentices complete their training contracts by doing all we can to address specific barriers they face.
The new model that is being discussed proposes:
• Assessment of skill levels, skills gaps, and aptitude for occupations before an apprentice starts.
• This will include language, literacy, numeracy, and digital skills assessments.
• Apprentices with additional barriers to completion having guaranteed access to the support they need through specialised mentoring, peer networking and pastoral care services.
• Services will be restructured to rebalance support between the apprentice and employer with a more regular and personalised contact regime.
• Providers will play a greater role in promoting apprenticeships to all secondary school students.
• Employer and apprentice roles and responsibilities will be clearly articulated to support strong working relationships.
• The Apprenticeship Data Management System will streamline administrative and claims processes.
It’s an ambitious and comprehensive set of reforms that has the potential to result in a step change in completion levels.
One way to achieve this is by strengthening diversity and inclusion across the apprenticeship spectrum, improving the working environment for all apprentices in the process.
See the Press Release here:Press Release Future Directions for Apprenticeship Support Services
