Today the Senate Education and Employment References Committee convened a public hearing for its inquiry into the operation, regulation and funding of private vocational education and training (VET) providers in Australia. Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham said the hearings highlighted the importance of the Abbott Government’s reforms to the VET sector.…
DetailsSIMON BIRMINGHAM: It is a delight to be with you all at the INAP conference today. Can I start by saying that it is always a pleasure at gatherings such as this, to follow on from the traditional welcome to country provided by Australia’s indigenous peoples and particularly today in the case of the Wathaurong…
DetailsEach year Adult Learners’ Week celebrates the important role adult and community education plays in reducing the risk of long-term unemployment. Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham and Federal Member for Hindmarsh Matt Williams launched the twentieth Adult Learners’ Week noting the theme for this year’s Adult Learners’ Week is ‘unlocking learning’…
DetailsSIMON BIRMINGHAM: It’s wonderful to be here and I acknowledge Vincent and the other board members of Business SA and those interstate visitors who helped form the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network that the chambers have put together. When I was appointed as the Assistant Minister for Education and Training in December last year it was…
DetailsSubject: (Regional Apprentices; INAP Conference) E&OE… JOURNALIST: So Senator what’s your take on the importance of apprenticeships within regional Victoria? SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Look, apprenticeships are critical. We’ve got more than 300,000 apprentices nationally, more than 2,000 in Ballarat alone and it’s a demonstration of the fact that apprenticeships provide pathways for people to both earn…
DetailsData released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) confirms Labor’s failure on vocational education and training (VET) with course completion rates slumping to just a third in 2013. The likelihood of completing a government-funded VET program 2009-13 report shows course completions for all VET qualifications dropped from 36 per cent for…
DetailsSIMON BIRMINGHAM: Thanks for coming along here today to the Civil Contractors Federation. As you can see behind me, we have high quality, world class training facilities that the taxpayers helped invest millions of dollars into the construction of and yet now under the state government’s new WorkReady system, all of the taxpayer subsidised places…
DetailsSubject: (SA Training) E&OE… LEON BYNER: …I made a private call to the Minister a few weeks ago to try and suss this out and all she would say to me, and it was by text, “This is a matter for TAFE” No Minister, it is a matter for you and if you can’t justify…
DetailsSubject: (SA Training) E&OE… DAVID PENBERTHY: Private providers have already sacked 176 people and the fear is that the situation is going to get worse. We’re joined now by the Federal Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham; Senator thank you for your time. Now one part of this whole story that I…
DetailsE&OE… SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Thanks very much for that welcome, and ladies and gentlemen it's wonderful to be with you all here at the Adelaide Oval, the magnificent Adelaide Oval. It is a great venue indeed to have a gathering of Master Builders, because it is a testament to the fact that you have taken, as…
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