Past Committees

About the Taskforce

The Taskforce comprised of a chairperson and six high level industry representatives drawn from those industries which were particularly impacted by skill shortages. Industry was closely involved in the work of the Taskforce with over 60 industry representatives participating in the Industry Working Groups established under the auspices of the Taskforce.

Terms of Reference

To provide advice to the government on the reforms required to the apprenticeship and traineeship system in Western Australia to address skill shortages with particular reference to:

1. improving the relevance and attractiveness of apprenticeships and traineeships to young men and women
2. increasing employer and industry commitment to, and investment in, apprenticeships and traineeships
3. removing impediments to the growth of apprenticeships and traineeships
4. addressing underlying causes of, and developing strategies to improve, non-completion rates
5. improving the flexibility and responsiveness of the system to the skill needs of industry
6. ensuring the quality of training.

Membership

Members were been appointed from industries where skill shortages were particularly apparent:

• Hon Clive Brown, Chair, Skills Formation Taskforce
• Mr Dale Alcock, Managing Director, Dale Alcock Homes
• Mr Bruce Lake, Managing Director, Vermilion Oil and Gas Australia
• Ms Kate Lamont, Proprietor, Lamonts
• Mr Steve Murdoch, Chief Operating Officer, Austal Ships
• Mr Mark Simpson, Training Manager, Pilbara Iron
• Mr Rod Slater, Managing Director, Eurogroup Pty Ltd

The Taskforce’s report entitled “Careers for Life: Creating a dynamic and responsive apprenticeship and traineeship system”, which was publicly released in December 2006, made 53 recommendations in regard to the reforms required to the apprenticeship and traineeship system.

Essentially, the recommendations of the Taskforce reflected the Taskforce’s view that:

• there needed to be more opportunity to secure an apprenticeship or traineeship;
• more support should be provided to both employers and apprentices and trainees;
• processes should be simplified and the apprenticeship and traineeship system should be easily navigated;
• training providers needed to be responsive to industry needs and performance driven; and
• there must be integrity and quality in skills assessment.

In response to these recommendations, significant resources have been invested in the apprenticeship and traineeship system to make it more accessible, efficient and responsive to the needs of industry.

Implementation Strategy

A key strategy to ensure the momentum for change continues over the four year duration of the allocated funding has been the establishment of the Skills Formation Taskforce Implementation Team in November 2007. The role of the team is to facilitate and support the internal Departmental Directorates, industry, TAFEWA colleges and private Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in implementing the Taskforce recommendations.

The State Training Board closely monitors the progress of achievements against each recommendation and the Implementation Team reports to the Board on a bi-annual basis or more frequently if requested.

Achievements

Substantial progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Taskforce within the context that it is a four year project and that many of the recommendations are multi-faceted and often interdependent. A number of projects relating to the recommendations were completed during 2007.

An outline of the significant achievements, grouped under the main themes of the Taskforce recommendations is provided.