Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Karen Andrews, today officially opened the inaugural VET in Schools Forum hosted by Trinity Grammar School in Sydney.
The forum brings together educators, training providers and work placement organisations to discuss the promotion of pathways and career opportunities vocational education offers school students.
“This is a terrific initiative that will help ensure students are aware of the full range of options available to them when it comes to choosing a job and career,” Minister Andrews said.
“We know that university is not for everyone and forums like this help raise the status of vocational education and training as a valued pathway for school students.
“Students who take up a school-based traineeship or apprenticeship get a great head start when it comes to finding a job with almost 90 per cent going straight into employment after school,” Minister Andrews said.
The VET in Schools Forum is a collaboration by The Teachers' Guild of NSW, Australian College of Educators Hills Parramatta and work placement organisation, MWLP.
A number of speakers from key VET stakeholders spoke at the forum about promoting school-based training to students and the benefits it can offer.
Minister Andrews said the Turnbull Government's $1.5 billion Skilling Australians Fund announced in the federal Budget aims to address the skills shortage facing some Australian industries and school-based apprenticeships will play a role in that.
“Students who take up training at school are able to test themselves with a variety of skills before deciding which career they'd like to pursue which will help increase apprenticeship completion rates.
“I congratulate the organiser on today's forum, which I hope will become a regular event on the school calendar and spread to other parts of the country.”
