"School based apprenticeships hold one of the keys to solving Australia's skill shortage crisis and last Friday's decision by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) is a huge boost to all those committed to tackling this critical issue", Jim Barron, CEO of Group Training Australia said today.
 
Mr Barron was commenting on the AIRC's decision to allow school based apprentices to be placed under a federal workplace award in the building and construction industry.
 
This decision will allow school based apprentices to gain experience on construction sites which had previously been closed to them.
 
"The AIRC's decision to take off the industrial shackles which had denied thousands of students the opportunity to take up a school based apprenticeship in the building and construction industry now has the potential to fill significant skills gaps,” claimed Mr Barron.
 
In Queensland, where the IR issues were dealt with early on, school based apprenticeships have been an enormous success with Queensland group training organizations accounting for well over half of the total number of school based apprenticeships in the state.
 
"Following the AIRC decision, I feel confident that Queensland's success can be repeated across all jurisdictions and go some way to providing a long term policy and practical response to our national skill shortage crisis", Mr Barron said.