qld state budget highlights 2010
National Monday Update Issue:
In this year’s ‘business as usual’ budget the highlight is for our sector the establishment of the QLD Skills Commission.
The creation of this Commission has keen consideration of with the need to provide oversight of skills training, and to also align training with jobs in demand.
In the words of Minister Geoff Wilson, the commission “will examine economy – wide, across all major industry sectors, what skills are going to be needed for the whole Queensland economy in three to five years.”A steering committee of representatives form key industries is due to be established by the end of this year.
Other aspects of the budget 2010 include:- Provide funding of over $500 million in 2010-11 for vocational education and training, including apprenticeships and traineeships, through the public provider network of TAFE institutes, statutory TAFE institutes, the Australian Agricultural College Corporation and private registered training organisations
- Provide a major boost to skilling through the Australian Government’s contribution of $115.9 million to the National Partnership Agreement on Productivity Places Program
- Create the Queensland Skills Commission (QSC), an industry-led authority to drive training investment and skills reform, establishing a partnership with industry that supports industry investment and aligns training programs with real skills and jobs
- Continue the reform of the Queensland TAFE system to increase flexibility and responsiveness to meet the needs of industry and the community
- Develop the skills of teachers in innovative teaching, learning and assessment, across the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector
- Investing over $100 million in Smart Classrooms initiatives to improve student, teacher and parent access to digital learning materials and $20 million under the Computers for Teachers program will continue the provision of a dedicated classroom computer and associated professional development to every permanent state school and TAFE institute teacher working two days or more a week. There was no mention of non TAFE support.
- $50 million to assist non-state schools that cater for disengaged young people to build new schools or to upgrade or extend existing school facilities
- Deliver State-wide training and career information services, including recognition of prior learning and career pathways, through Skilling Solutions Queensland and the Apprenticeships Info line
- Continue to develop effective pathways between school, tertiary education, training and into the workforce
- Reform funding arrangements to improve the capacity of industry to choose how, where, when and by whom training is delivered
- Provide training and training support to Indigenous Queenslanders through $2.7 million of State funding to complete the four-year Training Initiatives for Indigenous Adults in Regional and Remote Communities program, a joint dollar for dollar State-Australian Government initiative
- Contribute $9 million in 2010-11 towards the Government’s Green Army initiative for training projects that have significant environmental and community benefit.
- $221million for TAFEs infrastructure and the Great Barrier Reef International Marine College in Cairns (this includes $1million from the Trade Training Centres in Schools initiative)
- An investment of over $1 million over two years in a new scholarship scheme to support eligible early childhood education and care workers to upgrade early childhood teacher qualifications for registration
- The department will work with the Australian Government to commence the trial implementation of the National Quality Standard for Early Childhood Education and Care. This trial will inform the refinement of the new national rating system and implementation planning for the National Quality Framework from 1 January 2012