Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are our children being educated and trained with the skills that they need to take on the jobs in the future? This is one of the most important questions in my electorate of Lindsay. It's one I've been driving since my very first day here in parliament and long before. When I speak with our local principals, universities, TAFEs, job trainers, small businesses and manufacturers, they all agree that we must do more to develop our skilled workforce that will lead Western Sydney to develop emerging industries from advanced manufacturing to research and medicine, and this all begins in the classroom. One of the most important factors, if not the most important factor, in improving our education standards is the quality of teaching. It's absolutely critical that, in classrooms today in Western Sydney, students are being taught by experienced and qualified teachers with STEM backgrounds. Right now the evidence is showing that we don't have enough STEM teachers, and far too many—up to 17 per cent—of the ones we do have aren't teaching STEM subjects in the classroom. How can we expect our children to be equipped with the skills they need to take on the jobs of the future if our teachers aren't? Attracting, recruiting and keeping STEM professionals in teaching must be our priority to keep our education standards high, to put us back on top and to give our children the best opportunities for the jobs of the future.