RICHARD MARLES MP
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION, EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS
AND SMALL BUSINESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SCIENCE
MEMBER FOR CORIO

EMMA MCBRIDE MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR CARERS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR DOBELL

COASTIES FACING A SERIOUS SKILLS CRISIS

Coasties are facing an uphill battle to find work after the pandemic, after eight long years of cuts to vocational training under the Morrison Government.

On the north end of the Coast, there has been a considerable loss of apprentices and trainees since this Government came to power.

There are 231 fewer apprentices in Dobell right now, than there were eight years ago which is a drop of close to 10 per cent.

This decline is being felt in industries that many of us rely on every day.

Eight years ago, there were 20 apprentice butchers in Dobell but now, under this Government, there’s only seven which is a drop of 65 per cent.

We know that business owners are finding it tough to get staff with the necessary skills. In fact, in October more than half of businesses (approximately 57 per cent) had difficulty finding the right staff.

In the regions, this number is higher with two out of three businesses struggling to find staff with the right skills and qualifications to fill job gaps.

This means the Coast doesn’t have the skilled workers it needs for the future.

“The Coalition has been in Government for close to a decade now and instead of seeing a rise in jobs in Dobell, we’ve seen a drop,” Federal Member for Dobell, Emma McBride said.

“There are so many young Coasties in our region who should be able to take up a trade through an apprenticeship or a traineeship, but they can’t.

“That’s because this Government has cut more than $3 billion from vocational education and training, leaving us with a serious skills crisis.”

Nationwide, the figures are even worse with 85,000 fewer apprentices and trainees in Australia now.

“As a country, we need to have more skilled jobs available and we need to make sure that Coasties have the training to fill these highly-skilled jobs,” Ms. McBride said.

Ms. McBride will be meeting with Shadow Minister for Skills and Employment, Richard Marles at the University of Newcastle, Ourimbah campus today to discuss the skills crisis on the Coast.

WEDNESDAY 17 NOVEMBER, 2021