Forum to provoke debate on apprenticeships for the future

7 July 2008

The challenge of maintaining a skilled workforce is the focus of a major national forum on apprenticeships and traineeships to be hosted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

NCVER Managing Director Tom Karmel said the August event would showcase recent research on apprenticeships and traineeships and provoke debate on skills training in Australia.

"Perceptions of skills shortages or skills gaps have stirred interest within industry and government in the way people are trained and the way the skills needs of Australian employers are meet," Dr Karmel said.

"For example, there are frequent stories that the boom in the mining industry has created such a demand for labour that employers in other sectors are finding it difficult to recruit and retain employees.

"In fact NCVER's own work shows an increase in employers reporting difficulty in recruiting suitably skilled workers.

"Under these circumstances the question arises as to how our current apprentice and trainee system should respond to ensure the right training is available to the right people at the right time.

"It's an important question for Australia's future prosperity."

Dr Karmel said the one-day forum would explore innovations such as accelerated apprenticeships and ideas for change to the apprenticeship system.

The forum will also feature a lunch address by the inaugural Chair of Skills Australia, Philip Bullock.

Apprenticeships: Sustaining Australia's Skills Base, will take place at Telstra Dome, Melbourne on Friday August 15.

Further information about the research forum is available from http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/sustaining/forum.html

Media enquiries: Chris Booth, Manager, Marketing Services, NCVER , +61 8 8230 8400