Radio interview with Leon Compton - ABC Tasmania Mornings

LEON COMPTON, HOST: Andrew Giles is the Federal Minister for Skills and Training. Minister, good morning to you.

ANDREW GILES, MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING: Good morning, Leon. Great to be chatting with you.

COMPTON: How important are schools-based – the growing number of schools-based trade training centres, in connecting youth to trades and employers?

GILES: Look, it's really important. It was great to hear about Mr Max and Guildford College while I was waiting to come on air. I mean, we want to see in the Albanese Government every young person engaging in opportunities that will set themselves up for their future and hopefully contribute to our future too, through school, through TAFE, through uni and obviously into work.

COMPTON: So what role does the federal government and can the federal government play in supporting the establishment of trades training centres, whether that's in the private or the state school system?

GILES: I guess how I would come at that is obviously to think about how the shared responsibility that the Commonwealth Government has and the states have to deal with skills and training. I'm really proud that we've put together, after 10 years where there wasn't any agreement, a five-year agreement between all jurisdictions and the Commonwealth Government setting out what it is that we want to do together. Rebuilding TAFE at the heart of vocational education and training, thinking about ways of how we can improve completions of vocational outputs, doing all of those things to highlight the opportunities too that come through a vocational pathway. And a big part of that's in schools, whether it's through school-based apprenticeships, trade taster programs, thinking about all the ways that we can open up a young person's mind to the opportunities that are out there for really great jobs.

COMPTON: What is the role of TAFE in trades training in 2026 in Australia? The Tasmanian TAFE system, and we've spoken to the CEO, has been directed to find $45 million in savings over the next four years, and that his organisation needs to do better at spending as much as it earns. How reasonable is that?

GILES: I'll make two points. Firstly, from my point of view as the Minister in the Australian Government, I strongly believe that TAFE has to be at the heart of vocational education and training in Australia. It's the public provider. It's so trusted. It's so important. For me, the Free TAFE program has been absolutely fundamental at connecting people to skills, training and ultimately into jobs – nearly 10,000 in Tasmania, for example. Now, when it comes to the issues around TasTAFE, there's probably two points I should make again there too. I mean, obviously, it's a matter for the Tasmanian Government how to run it on a day-to-day basis. But under the National Skills Agreement, there are some very clear objectives that we have about the investment that should be made into TasTAFE and about how it should operate. Now, I'm aware of a number of concerns that have been raised with me by some of my colleagues in the Federal Parliament. The union has raised them. I am writing to Minister Ellis to clarify that my expectations and the expectations of the Australian Government are being met.

COMPTON: Do you believe or have any evidence that Tasmania might not be meeting its agreements under the National Skills Agreement when it comes to properly funding TAFE in this state?

GILES: We closely monitor whether any jurisdiction is meeting its obligations, particularly in respect of the investment the Commonwealth makes, and we'll continue to do so.

COMPTON: And so what form could that investigation take when it comes to understanding the direction for TAFE to cut $45 million over four years and come closer to earning as much as it spends on training?

GILES: I guess we see training, I see training as an investment, an investment in our collective future as well as in the individual future of the person who's undertaking training. We know that nine in 10 jobs that are being generated in the Australian economy now require a post-school qualification. So it's absolutely imperative that we open up that opportunity to as many people as possible. To do that, we've required, for example, 70 per cent of the funding through the agreement to be invested in TAFE. And there are some other obligations under the agreement that obviously we monitor closely.

COMPTON: 936 ABC Hobart, ABC Northern Tasmania. If you've got a question for Andrew Giles, the Federal Minister for Skills and Training, get in touch. Minister, I will just pop you on hold there for one tick because we've got a call from Duncan in Lenah Valley. Duncan, what would you like to ask the Minister?

DUNCAN SPENDER, CALLER: G'day, Leon. I'm from Oysters Tasmania, Duncan Spender. So we're concerned that the government took aquaculture off the supported apprenticeship list late last year and just wondering if there's any reason why.

COMPTON: I'm sorry, and off the supported apprenticeships list, what does that mean for you in real terms, Duncan?

SPENDER: It basically means I think $5,000 was previously offered to aquaculture businesses to take on apprentices, and that's not being offered anymore.

COMPTON: And so that in a Tasmanian context might mean oysters, salmon, abalone? What else am I missing?

SPENDER: Seaweed.

COMPTON: And seaweed. Duncan, appreciate that. Let's put it back to Andrew Giles, the Minister for Skills and Training. You heard there, Duncan, from Oysters Tasmania. Why was aquaculture, Minister, taken off the supported apprenticeship list?

GILES: We look at the evidence as to whether particular occupations or fields are in need of government subsidies for apprenticeships. That's to create the priority list, which is the basis for support for employers and apprentices from the Commonwealth Government. There is now a new process that's underway around how we determine the priority list for these occupations. I have had some representations from the aquaculture industry in Tasmania. I think Australians recognise that we've got to really think hard about the money that we invest as a Commonwealth Government in supporting training to make sure that it is actually delivering absolute bang for buck for the Commonwealth. And we should have regard to the best evidence we have in that regard. We should also keep consulting with industry, which is something we've always been committed to doing.

COMPTON: So just to be clear, supporting people into their aquaculture apprenticeships, which you could argue is one thing Tasmania perhaps does better than or has more of than other parts of the country, this might not be bang for buck from a federal government perspective?

GILES: What I'm saying is that we rely on the work of expert bodies, Jobs and Skills Australia to provide us with some guidance in those matters as to where our investments should be targeted. Now, I also said that we’ve made some decisions around a new methodology of how we work through this priority list for those sorts of occupations that are considered on the priority list. There are a number obviously that have been in shortage for some time, where an apprenticeship is also the only pathway through. You think about carpentry, you think about electrical. These are areas where there's an obvious need when it comes to housing supply, clean energy and an apprenticeship is the obvious pathway. We have a current list at the moment. We've got a new methodology to work through. I can say to Duncan and to others that we will keep engaging but we'll also have regard to the evidence.

COMPTON: Appreciate you talking with us this morning. Thanks, Minister.

GILES: Thank you very much.