Kerry Bartlett (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

During the winter recess, I had the pleasure of launching the Blue Mountains-Hawkesbury-Penrith local school industry partnership, part of the Australian government’s Career Advice Australia program, which has been allocated $143 million over the next three years. This very important program is aimed at building essential links between school and the workplace, particularly for the more vulnerable young people.

With the increased complexity of the workplace, with the increased rate of economic change, with the increased number of options for training and education available, making these choices is nowhere near as easy as it used to be. The aim of schools, and it ought to also be the aim of employers, is to help young people achieve their potential, to prepare them to be positive, productive participants in the life of our community. This involves a number of things. It involves helping young people become aware of the career opportunities available. It involves helping equip them with general employability skills and, in some cases, specific areas of training. It involves helping them become motivated and become connected. It involves giving young people a start in the workplace.

It is one of the sad paradoxes that on the one hand we have employers crying out for young people with the appropriate level of motivational skills they need for their workplace and on the other hand we have young people who cannot seem to get a start in employment. We have this mismatch, and it is essential that we do what we can to try to remove those imbalances or discrepancies to make those essential links between school and the workplace so that young people leave school with a clear idea of where they want to go, being motivated to start and with some connections to the workplace, rather than leaving school totally unsure of where they want to go. It is these young people who often end up joining the ranks of the unemployed.

It is sad that we have so many variations in careers advice available from state to state. In public high schools in New South Wales, we have full-time careers advisers. In Western Australia, we have no particular state policy. In South Australia, there are student counsellors who might give a bit of careers advice. We really need a much more integrated and determined approach towards careers advice. That is one of the reasons why this government has committed $143.2 million over the next three years as part of its Career Advice Australia program.

There are three aspects to this program. The first is the establishment of a national network of industry career specialists to provide up-to-date information on the skills needed and labour market opportunities in those particular industries. The second is the establishment of 57 regional industry careers advisers to provide expert localised careers advice, so young people will know what opportunities are available in their particular area. The third is the establishment of the local community partnerships, such as this Blue Mountains-Hawkesbury-Penrith community partnership which will address the needs of 34,000 young people in this area. Over the next three years, this will need $215,000 for this part of Western Sydney to help make those essential connections between school and the workplace.

The aims of this program are: firstly, to facilitate access to professional career advice for young people; secondly, to help students develop individual transition plans for study and work; thirdly, to organise and monitor industry placements through structured workplace learning, so essential for getting on-the-job experience for these young people to complement their studies, particularly in certificate I and certificate II of vocational education programs; fourthly, to promote vocational and technical education pathways; fifthly, to manage and promote the local industry Adopt a School program; sixthly, to enhance the mentoring and monitoring arrangements for young people, particularly those in years 9 and 10, the more vulnerable years; and, lastly, to better engage parents in education about post-school options.

In short, in addition to a whole range of other programs—this government has introduced increased apprenticeships and more money for vocational education and training—these local school industry partnerships are aimed at helping young people develop a better idea of what is available when they leave school, a better idea of how to get there and support along the way to build those essential links so they do not fall between the cracks of school and unemployment, so they go straight from school into productive employment. (Time expired)