Campaign to boost group training

ATC Work Smart Albany general manager Peter Adams is hopeful a new nationwide campaign will influence government policy to support group training programs in the Great Southern.

With about 500 apprentices employed in the region, about 20 per cent are employed via group training programs, well above the industry average of 10 to 12 per cent.

Mr Adams says group training produces high completion rates.

“We have a high success rate; our completions for apprentices are in excess of 70 per cent whereas the industry average is around 50 per cent,” he said

The campaign, run by industry network Group Training Australia, features a video of apprentices and trainees across Australia expressing their desire for increased government support.

“The campaign we’re looking at is more supporting organisations like us that do group training because we believe we offer a better product,” Mr Adams said.

“We can get those completion rates; the government’s policy direction is around trying to achieve completions in excess of where they are now,” he said.

“We don’t think the money is going to the best area that it could do to affect completions.”

Mr Adams said the Great Southern economy offers stability for apprentices and trainees.

“There’s a relative consistency of opportunity, we’re not as greatly impacted on by highs in the market,” he said.

“The rural sector impacts on our economy as well and that’s relatively stable over a long period of time.”

Despite the stability in the region, Mr Adams highlighted the negative trend for apprenticeships across Australia.

“The trend is that there are less people in training and there’s a decline in apprenticeship numbers,” he said.