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Announcement from ACTU on 24 July 2022

The ACTU welcomes the announcement by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke, today that the Government will remove the anti-worker elements of the Turnbull/Morrison Government’s Building Code.

This Code contains a host of anti-worker, onerous and non-sensical requirements on companies such as banning controls over casualisation, guarantees on apprenticeship numbers, the flying of union flags, and logos on notice boards.

The ABCC and the Building Code was used as a constitutional trigger to call a double dissolution election in 2016, which saw the Turnbull Government narrowly returned to power. The Code is one element of the highly divisive legislation enacted by previous Governments that were focused on wage suppression.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

“We welcome the removal of the anti-worker aspects of the building code as the first and important steps to the Albanese Government implementing their election commitment to abolish the ABCC and its underpinning legislation.

“The Code was one of the ideological projects of the previous Government who spent nearly a decade attacking unions and suppressing wages.

“Instead of acting to address important issues like increasing the number of permanent jobs by stopping excessive casualisation or fixing our broken bargaining laws so workers could get pay rises, they spent their time undermining workers’ rights.

“This Code is a relic of these lost and divisive years. It stopped progress on apprenticeships and skills in the construction industry and did nothing to address safety or wage theft. Taxpayers’ money was wasted on banning the Eureka flag and policing union posters on notice boards. It’s time to move on and spend our time and effort on the things that matters like addressing the cost-of-living crisis”

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A SHORTAGE of skilled workers in the automotive industry is one of the key issues to emerge from an automotive support organisation, Capricorn.

In its second annual state of the nation report, Capricorn, who commissioned research company TKP to conduct the study, found the automotive industry was struggling to attract young people to the industry.

While most of its members run mechanical workshops, 72 per cent, a smaller number also operate panel and paint, seven per cent, auto electric, six per cent, commercial truck, five per cent, and tyre and suspension, four per cent.

Capricorn Group chief executive David Fraser said the automotive industry was ‘dynamic and evolving’ and would be a great career for anyone interested in computers, gaming or coding as he described cars as ‘computers on wheels’.

“However, the automotive industry as a collective, needs to have a serious conversation about how it plans on creating a pipeline of talent to address future labour shortages,” he said.

While the report found there were many positives in the industry such as making customers happy, the joy of problem solving and finding a passion working with vehicles, work-life balance was a problem, largely due to a shortage of skilled labour.

“Thanks to government support, 39 per cent of Capricorn’s members currently have an apprentice in their business but many still believe their business is too small to take on an apprentice, which is often just not the case,” Mr Fraser said.

“Our members have been working an average of 24 years in the industry and running their own workshop for 17, so now really is the time to consider succession planning, and part of that may include considering taking on an apprentice.”

Between 2016 and 2020, the number of graduate apprentices in the automotive and engineering trades fell 23.2 per cent.

“Our report found that two thirds of members have never been approached by a TAFE-like institution looking for an apprentice, yet three out of five members have been approached by someone who is seeking to start an apprenticeship, so there’s a clear imbalance there,” he said.

“There’s a lot of government support and registered training schemes available for businesses to access, so if you’ve ever considered it, now is the time to bring on an apprentice and if you’re a young person looking for an exciting career take a look at the automotive industry.”

From October 1, the existing Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program, AAIP, will be replaced with a new, simplified and streamlined incentives program for employers of apprentices and trainees called the Incentives for Australian Apprenticeships, IAA.

The IAA was scheduled to commence in 2020, but due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employers of Australian Apprentices, the government delayed its implementation.

The IAA program offers various incentive payments to employers during the period of an employee’s apprenticeship and is available to employers of any size, industry, or geographic location.

Final claims for payment must be lodged by June 30, 2023.

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28 Apr 2021

New Ai Group Centre for Education and Training calls for urgent action on skills

The national employer association Ai Group today launched its new Centre for Education and Training (CET), which is a new research and advocacy body designed to better connect skills development with the needs of industry and the community.

To launch the new Centre Ai Group released its latest research to stimulate discussion around a number of key considerations intended to lead to further action on Australia’s skills needs.

The Federal Minister for Education and Youth, Alan Tudge, formally launched the Centre in Melbourne today (28 April).

Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said: “Our economy is changing at a fast rate and outpacing the ability of our education and training system to deliver the skills industry needs. The new Centre will help industry navigate this new world and create stronger links between education and learning, and the rapidly changing skills needs of industry,” Mr Willox said.

The Centre’s Executive Director, Megan Lilly, said: “The Centre will bring together the most innovative thinkers in skills, education and training and build on Ai Group’s more than 140 years of deep engagement with industry. It will be a powerful and credible advocate for policy outcomes that address the current and emerging needs of employers and the career aspirations of individuals.

Coinciding with the launch of the Centre, Ai Group released its latest report: Skills Urgency – Transforming Australia’s workplaces.

The report is based on fresh research and informed by a survey of Ai Group member companies in late 2020 at the peak of the pandemic.

Mr Willox said: “The report is intended to be a thought starter for encouraging change around skills in Australia and stimulating discussion around a number of key considerations including:

A cocktail of factors is converging to create an urgency to skills formation and development.

Australia is not rated by the World Economic Forum as one of the best placed countries for tertiary
education to deliver what employers need.

Research on the changing workplace is showing that the nature of work is evolving. It speculates that the way people work is changing in an unprecedented way.

Skills development needs a different approach for the future: where learning is not separate from doing; where we immerse learning in work environments.

Strains on companies evident from a skill needs survey Ai Group undertook late in 2020 show:
– technicians and trades workers are re-emerging as the most difficult roles to fill.
– basic digital skills are needed the most out of all digital skills.
– an increased demand for soft skills.
– an increased commitment to taking on apprentices.
– a positive attitude and soft skills are the most important entry level recruiting factors.
– wage subsidies are needed for many employers to take on displaced workers and young people.
– employers would take on more university or TAFE students as higher apprentices, cadets or interns to increase their skill levels as their business needs change.

It is important to share and learn from real life stories of employers taking action and demonstrating their commitment to build skills in their organisations. This report shares some varied initiatives.

Skills urgency is pointing to the need for new responses, new support and upscaled collaborations across Australia’s broad skill ecosystem.

Future-focused education and training delivered with, and in, industry should be our overall goal. More intensified action must help to establish:
– new templates for partnerships across the skill eco-system
– broad digital skills development integrating human capabilities
– a re-imagined apprenticeship system
– work-based learning as a core principle in qualifications and
– flexible qualifications allowing short form training.”

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April 1 2021 – 12:00AM

Master Builders ACT says there is a shortage of skills across the construction industry.

The construction sector has called for the ACT government to increase construction apprenticeship funding to keep up with growing demand and a shortage of skills.

Master Builders ACT chief executive Michael Hopkins said there were currently more apprenticeship applicants than could be catered for and a skills shortage across Canberra.

“We are seeing really strong demand from employers wanting to take on young apprentices … if the funding doesn’t keep up with that demand we’re concerned the quality of training will drop,” Mr Hopkins said.

He said there was a particular shortage of bricklayers, but most areas were experiencing problems finding skilled plumbers, carpenters and electricians.

Skills Minister Chris Steel said the government would start consultation on the skills shortage in the next few weeks.

“This will help to inform subsidy levels and ensure funding for training is targeted to the jobs and sectors that need it the most,” he said.

Mr Steel didn’t respond to specific questions on funding but said the government was working to address the shortage.

“Access to skilled workers in the construction sector is a problem faced around Australia, particularly at this time of record infrastructure investment by all governments,” he said.

“There are many young apprentices gaining valuable industry skills on our own infrastructure projects right now … we will continue to provide as many opportunities as possible.”

Mr Hopkins said the sector had benefited from ACT and federal government stimulus boosting demand, but training needed to keep up.

There has been an increase of more than 2100 construction jobs throughout 2021, however Mr Hopkins said employment in the sector was still down 3.2 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

“We’re finding strong demand from local businesses and members who are looking to employ apprentices,” he said.

“The missing piece of making that all come together is to make sure the ACT government keeps up and increases training funding for apprentices.”

He said the government had provided certainty funding would not be reduced until mid 2021 but called for clarity beyond that.

“So that we can can both increase the quantity and the quality of apprentice training over the next few years,” Mr Hopkins said.

The minister said the government had provided payroll tax exemptions for businesses to train and retain apprentices and funded 3500 places through the JobTrainer program.

Mr Hopkins had called for a funding increase ahead of the 2020 election. He also wanted incumbent government to increase the mandatory number of apprentices on major government-funded projects.

“It’s one of the ways the ACT government can support apprentices and young people by using their procurement policies,” he said.