"Today's announcements by Minister Brendan Nelson and the Coalition targeting group training organisations as critical players in getting more young people into trade training and solving national skills shortages are very warmly welcomed", said Jim Barron, CEO, Group Training Australia (GTA).

"Minister Nelson is to be congratulated for taking these initiatives and recognising the strong role that the group training network is currently playing in underpinning our skills base and in addressing national skills shortages.

Group Training Australia particularly applauds the renewed focus these policy announcements place on expanding school-based New Apprenticeship opportunities and pre vocational and employment programs through group training arrangements.

"The push to expand school-based New Apprenticeships nationally is absolutely vital if we are to successfully tackle our current skills shortages crisis."

"The record of group training organisations in delivering quality outcomes in these program areas is already impressive. With increased government funding to these programs of some $71 million over four years the capacity of the group training network to deliver even greater results will be substantially enhanced."

"That can only be good news for young people looking to take up an apprenticeship and for business desperate to fill deepening skills gaps across a raft of traditional trades."

"Today's series of policy announcements by Minister Nelson again places the twin issues of training and skill shortage firmly on the policy and political radar screen. Importantly, for group training, it is also recognition of the quality work that group training organisations do and the key role that they can play in the future in working to solve skills shortages and providing opportunity and skilled pathways to the seventy percent of school leavers who do not go on to university.

"Group Training Australia congratulates the Coalition on releasing this important policy package and we look forward to hearing from Opposition Leader Mark Latham as to what a Labor Government will do in this area."