The Australian Government has opened tenders for the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network, another step towards the next wave of Government reforms aiming to lift apprenticeship completion rates.
In September, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Minister for Industry Ian Macfarlane announced that the Commonwealth Government would invest $200 million each year to establish a new Australian Apprenticeship Support Network, which Mr Macfarlane says will support apprentices and small businesses.
“The new network will provide apprentices with the support they need to complete their training and earn an industry-relevant qualification, and will assist employers, particularly small businesses, looking to take on an apprentice,” Mr Macfarlane said in yesterday’s media release.
“The Australian Government wants to ensure our nation has the skilled workforce necessary to drive productivity gains and international competiveness across the economy and the new network is part of building a better national training system.”
A Deloitte Access Economics report released in 2011, titled The cost of apprenticeship non-completion in NSW, estimated that non completion of apprenticeships is associated “with a net present income/productivity loss to 2020 of $149 million, rising to $159 million by 2050.”
As it currently stands, apprenticeship completion rates are at 50 per cent.
According to the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network outline, the AASN services suite will, among other things, provide support for individuals throughout their apprenticeship lifecycle, include an ‘outcomes-based’ payment structure for service providers, encourage consortium bids, and streamline administration through a new e-business platform.
“The network will include job-matching, mentoring of at-risk apprentices, training contract sign-up support and other services,” says Mr Macfarlane.
“The initiative is part of the Government’s broader reforms to the vocational education and training sector which is delivering real industry leadership, less red tape for providers and more targeted and demand driven funding.”
The tender, which opened yesterday at www.industry.gov.au/AASNTender, is to close on 5 December 2014. The Australian Apprenticeship Support Network set to start on 1 July 2015.
Information sessions on the Request for Tender will be held in various locations throughout Australia from October 27 – 31. Information on these sessions can be found here: http://www.industry.gov.au/skills/Pages/AASN.aspx
