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Questions Without Notice Questions without notice are asked of Ministers and answered during Question Time.
Mr LAWLOR: My question is to the Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations. Queensland's skills shortages are being tackled by the government through a range of smart strategies. Can the minister tell us about a particular scheme that is enabling older unqualified workers to gain qualifications through recognition of their existing employment related skills and experience?
Mr BARTON: I would love to answer the question from the member, who takes a real interest in this area, and that is why the unemployment figures are so low on the Gold Coast. Australia's deepening skills crisis has led to older workers suddenly being discovered as a source of skills by Canberra--but not in Queensland, where the government is already helping older workers move into more skilled positions through a Recognition of Prior Learning program. This program is part of our three-year SmartVET strategy to tackle skills shortages and aims to help older unqualified Queenslanders to gain recognition for their employment related skills and experience. The program enables a worker assessed as having relevant experience in a particular field to gain a qualification through additional training without having to complete the full qualification process. They undertake training that fills the gap between their current skills and those required for a qualification.
The recent graduation of Currumbin Waters resident Terry Meredith is an example of how individuals and industry can jointly benefit from the process. Terry, aged 47, has been a laboratory manager with Readymix Holdings at Beenleigh--another very good site--for the last three years. Through an industry training partnerships traineeship, Terry was able to upgrade his skills and has now graduated with a certificate IV in laboratory techniques. The focus of SmartVET is of course to address the skills shortages of our key industries. Terry has had his 30 years of industry experience assessed under the Recognition of Prior Learning process. This was a tremendously worthwhile thing for him to do because it allowed him to complete his traineeship in six months instead of the normal three years. Apart from short tracking his studies, giving him formal qualifications, the process has also provided a pathway to further education and training, as it can do for anyone undertaking it.
The human services field of aged care is desperately short of qualified people, and now a new pilot program at the Bremer Institute of TAFE in Ipswich is helping 20 aged care workers obtain employment related qualifications. These workers will have their existing skills and experience assessed and then Bremer TAFE staff will identify what skills gap training they need to obtain a certificate III in aged care. Business qualifications can also be fast-tracked using the Recognition of Prior Learning process. The Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE in Townsville is carrying out workplace assessments that will recognise prior learning and experience and then give participants the opportunity to obtain formal business qualifications. The Recognition of Prior Learning program is proving to be a very valuable tool in fast-tracking skills development, and I look forward to giving honourable members more good news about the outcomes of this in the future. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 12:00 AM
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