QLD school promotes importance of trade skills

Having a trade skill is now valued as highly as an academic achievement, and more and more senior students are choosing to take part in VET (Vocational Education & Training) course in order to move more easily into an apprenticeship when they finish school.

The critical shortage of tradespeople in Australia, especially in rapidly growing regions like Ipswich, Queensland, has convinced the Federal Government to fund millions of dollars for trade training centres in schools.  St Edmund's College is the first "lead school" in Ipswich to pick up funding worth almost $3 million, and both Ipswich Boys' and Ipswich Girls' grammar schools will share the facilities. Ipswich Special School will also have access to the centre.  St Edmund's Boys' principal, Mr Brendan Lawler, said a new separate building would house automotive training like engineering.  Delighted with the funding from the Government, Mr Lawler said: "We would have 35 to 40 per cent of our boys involved in these type of (VET) trade courses."  According to Mr Lawler, the college had forged partnerships with Queensland Rail, Hutchinson Builders, Sun Engineering and Apprenticeships Queensland.  He stressed the importance of trades courses, as they helped support local industries and gave students a future.  "(Companies) are having such difficulty getting apprentices," he said. "The Government is very committed to year 12 retention. VET students wouldn't have stayed (to year 12) under the traditional curriculum." Principal of St. Edmund's Girls College, Flo Kearney, said the new training centre would give her students another option to pursue 'wet' trades like plastering and painting.  "We have girls who are interested in that area," she said. "We have a lot of girls who go into unusual jobs like engineering and aviation."
Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said every school in Australia had access to between half a million dollars and $1.5 million under the 10-year Trade Training Centres in Schools Program.  "Providing greater access to high quality, relevant education and training opportunities will encourage many students to complete their studies and build tomorrow's workforce," said Mr Neumann.  The Federal Government has committed $2.5 billion over the next ten years to honour an election commitment on training centres. Applications for Phase Two funding close in October.