11/01/01
Every eligible year 12 student who graduated in Western Australia last year and applied for TAFE will be offered a place in 2001.
Premier Richard Court and Employment and Training Minister Mike Board today announced the TAFE Guarantee 2001 before meeting a group of TAFE graduates employed at Burswood Resort.
Mr Court said the Coalition Government initiative would see about 18,000 new students entering the West Australian Vocational Education and Training system this year.
“Every one of the 26,399 school leavers who have applied and are eligible for a place at TAFE will be offered one,” the Premier said.
“Vocational training is a vital component of tertiary education and the Western Australian system under the Coalition Government is a proven mechanism for gaining young people jobs.
“The latest independent research from the National Council of Vocational Education and Training Research showed that 88.1 per cent of TAFE graduates in this State were either employed or undertaking further study.
“TAFE provides skilled people who are meeting the demands of a growing workforce in Western Australia. Since 1993 more than 190,000 new jobs have been created in Western Australia.”
Employment and Training Minister Mike Board said while students could not be guaranteed a place in the specific course of their choice, most applicants - 80 per cent last year - were successful in gaining first-preference places.
“This year, there are more courses on offer than ever before, with 443 options ranging from aeronautics to computing and Asian cooking,” Mr Board said.
Mr Court said Western Australia had a consistently strong youth employment record, which the State Government was working to maintain and improve through youth-oriented employment programs.
“There are more than 20 successful initiatives developed under the Coalition Government to support and encourage youth employment and training opportunities and many of these are being expanded alongside the development of new programs,” he said.
Existing programs include:
Access Career - A recent initiative providing Year 12 students with a network of information about where to go for information on employment and training opportunities. Every school leaver last year received a brochure with their TISC results outlining this program.
GetAccess - To be expanded this year, this highly successful interactive website features a huge range of career and employment-related information and resources. The site includes career profiles, a career game, virtual caf� and chat-room, online magazine, news service and real-life interviews with job seekers. GetAccess won the Best Government Initiative award at the 2000 Asia Pacific IT&T Awards.
School Leaver Program - A key initiative aimed at identifying and helping school leavers who are unable to secure employment, education or training placements. It includes an ‘intention’ survey in schools between July and September and a follow-up survey the following year to determine which school-leavers have not obtained a post-school placement. Those young people who want assistance will then be offered advice on how to best access employment, training or further education opportunities. This program will be expanded this year to include non-Government schools in country regions and development is under way to facilitate its application in non-Government schools in the metropolitan area.
Mr Board said the employment programs worked well with the TAFE system to try and ensure the best possible outcomes for young Western Australians.
“The value of TAFE training is its ease of application in the workplace - it gives people the skills employers want in their staff and it covers such a huge range of industries,” he said.
“TAFE in WA also is extremely good value for money - the State Government subsidises up to 94 per cent of tuition fees.”
Mr Board said TAFE tuition fees for 2001 had been frozen at last year’s levels and concession rates were available to eligible students.
Media contacts:
Premier’s office - Casey Cahill, 9222 9475
Minister Board’s office -Tamatha Smith, 9222 9211
