National Interest

National Interest listeners had plenty to say about last week's program discussing Australia' skills shortage and the struggle to get more people - young and old - to complete workplace training and apprenticeships.

Our panel of speakers outlined a number of impediments... And visitors to our guestbook mentioned several more.

Patricia had this to say:

"My son was thrilled to obtain a plumbing apprenticeship at 23 years of age, only to lose it a year later when the business suddenly failed. He had been an exemplary employee and his boss thought highly of him, but this counted for nothing in getting a new apprenticeship. There was nowhere to go, no support for someone in his position."

Listener Howard reckons about half the population thinks apprenticeships are not relevant to them:

"I have three children: two have completed apprenticeships - plumbing and steel fabrication... Both boys. My daughter didn't do an apprenticeship, unfortunately. I tried to convince her that a trade might be a good option for her. She tried nursing, by she only lasted three months... She didn't like it. I suggested several apprenticeships she could consider - hairdressing and electrical trade - but she wasn't interested, as she has some belief that apprenticeships and trades are for boys, not girls. When I considered this with my own experience in the steel fabrication industry and electrical industry, I don't remember ever seeing a female tradesperson. The point I'm trying to make is that in this day and age with a shortage of trades person, then perhaps girls should be encouraged to take on apprenticeships in the more male dominated trades."

For listener Rod, the frustrations experienced by many apprentices really struck a chord. Here's what he had to say on our feedback line:

"Lunch was late today because I couldn't get myself away from your program about training and apprentices. I heard a lot of rhetoric but I've heard it all before. My position is - yes, I did a five-year apprenticeship 40 years ago. I've just completed a second trade. I've had the luxury of being a teacher, albeit short; I've done some casual, relief teaching both pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training. And the system frustrated me trying to get my second trade. And I can understand the frustration of these younger people and these older people that are doing it, too."

Marsha, writing to us from a boomtown in WA, says that with salaries so high, there is little incentive to complete an apprenticeship:

"Why would you study anything when you can work for the mines with not one iota of brains and make obscene amounts of money? A few examples: chopping veg, $85,000.00 per year; stacking boxes, $90,000.00; cleaning rooms, $2,000.00 per week and - my favourite - burning effluent out in the desert, $110,000 per annum. I had a conversation with a road worker the other day. She had a round sign that said 'stop' on one side and 'go slow' on the other. She told me she cleared $1600.00 per week. That's more than I make in a fortnight, with all my qualifications and a stressful job in health."

Listener Geoff, in Queensland, says we overlooked one issue - the cost of renewing a trade licence.

"I'm an electrician. Now, I'm retired. But when I first got my ticket, it was issued for life, subject only to performance - if I stuffed up, I could lose my ticket. As a contractor, I paid a fee - and that was an annual fee to renew my licence. It wasn't high. Ten or 12 years ago the governments decided they could make a mint out of trade licences, and they brought in five-year requalification; you had to go and to CPR with the ambulance service. And you had to pay for all that, of course. Plus you had to pay for all sorts of extra bits and pieces, including insurance. I don't say some of this isn't necessary. But they have destroyed the industry and there's too many parasites... And these training colleges: most of them should be shot!"

And Phil says we should have talked about the lack of funding for vocational education and training:

"I was disappointed that this program did not mention the damage to TAFE caused by State and federal governments failing, since 1997, to fund growth in student hours and compensate for inflation. In real terms the shortfall in national TAFE funding is now about $1 billion each year. The skills shortage is clear evidence that the private training market has failed to rectify the problem and indeed cannot... as the profit motive will always lead to cuts in course hours, bigger class sizes and the use of low paid trainers, rather than university qualified teachers as in TAFE."

To comment on the National Interest, call the feedback line 1300 936 222 or click on the 'have your say button at the top of this page.

Presenter

Peter Mares

Producer

James Panichi