Vocational experts from all over the world have converged on Ballarat this week for the International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship conference.
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This forum comes as the Abbott government and state governments consider changes to the way vocational education and training (VET) courses are funded.
Assistant Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham said the government was looking at reducing incentives for employers taking on apprentices and also changing funding to private training colleges.
“..I want to take a very cautious and steady approach to addressing problems, that I think do exist, in the incentive payments arrangement,” he said.
“It is about simplifying them and ensuring that they encourage additional apprentices to be taken on, but I want to make sure that there aren’t any unforeseen consequences of changes that we make that could have any type of impact, like those that occurred under the Labor government.”
Federation College used the forum to give the attendees, from bodies like the International Labour Organisation, a tour of their Grant Street facilities and show off what some of Ballarat’s 2,000 apprentices could do.
Professor Erica Smith is the personal chair in vocational education and training and has long worked in the sector.
Reflecting on what made Australia’s VET system a stand-out, she said the partnerships with employers were a key part of its strength.
“One thing the Australian system has that many other countries don’t is that it does provide financial incentives for employers to take on and retain apprentices, which is often really valued, and means that more employers are willing to participate,” she said.
The conference will finish on Wednesday with presentations from a Worldskills and Australian Ambassadors panel and a keynote address from Griffith University expert Professor Stephen Billett.