MIGATE’S chief executive announced that the Mount Isa based group training service would have to adapt after continuous cutbacks of government funding.
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Ron Pertovt blasted the Federal Government for having no respect for the Vocational Education and Training Sector, which he said should be considered an investment rather than as an expense to the national budget.
During the MIGATE 2015 Awards held at the Buffs Club Friday night the chief executive announced that the service will need to adapt to continue.
It would do this by offering to manage training, administration and mentoring of businesses’ apprentices and trainees through a fee-for-service arrangement.
MIGATE already did this, but only for businesses that used the group training service to train its employees that used to be funded through the state and federal governments.
As of July last year the federal government no longer paid for the entry and completion of apprenticeships and traineeships.
And although Mr Pertovt was grateful for some funding from the Queensland Government it was at a reduced rate to what it once was.
“The VET sector, this socially significant and imperative sector, I believe receives no respect from the Australian Government,” Mr Pertovt said.
Mr Pertovt criticised the number of Ministers for Vocational Education and Training within a short space of time – four within in two years counting the incumbent Scott Ryan.
“At the recent National Conference for Group Training held in Adelaide in April this year his disdain (Mr Ryan’s) was apparent to me at least, when during his address he waxed lyrical and glowingly about a Queensland rural-based Group Training Organisation that closed its doors in June, 2015.
“The Minister further gave the clear attitude from my perception that he viewed spending in this important sector as an expense, whereas I believe it should be regarded at this level of Government as an investment,” Mr Pertovt said.
“It appears that this attitude has been reinforced by the recent budget which contained no meaningful real-world practical money towards investment in the VET sector as a whole, let alone in Group Training.”
MIGATE started in 1988 with the original aim of employing and placing apprentices in local businesses.
