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| SYDNEY 2UE MALCOLM ELLIOTT 10.22AM 30TH MARCH, 2003. |
DISCUSSION REGARDING APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINEESHIPS IN THE WORKFORCE. INTERVIEW WITH JIM BARRON, GROUP TRAINING AUSTRALIA. |
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MALCOLM ELLIOTT - PRESENTER:
The traditional image of apprentices as school leavers is fast disappearing, with nearly a quarter of new apprenticeships in Australia now going to people over forty. In the last five years the number of apprentices and trainees aged over forty has grown seven-fold. Jim Barron is the CEO of Group Training Australia, he says that apprenticeships are attracting people who’ve been laid off but are not ready to retire, as well as women returning to work after having children. And Jim joins me. Good morning Jim. JIM BARRON – GROUP TRAINING AUSTRALIA: Good morning Malcolm. ELLIOTT: Jim, it seems - like, when I did my apprenticeship in the printing trade it went for five years, and now that’s been, sort of, brought down to about three years. Some of these apprenticeships for people over forty are only six months, is that right? BARRON: That’s correct. About six years ago the training system was opened up a lot more than it was before, and you had traineeships – six to twelve month traineeships in a lot of disciplines, like hospitality, health, finance, IT, alongside the three to four year traditional apprenticeships - ELLIOTT: But what I think is you’re getting a mature - BARRON: - that we all know and love. ELLIOTT: Who, who loved? BARRON: We all know and love the traditional - ELLIOTT: No, I know I didn’t - I know, Jim, I didn’t love. All right. Let’s get that straight, I hated every minute of it – I hated getting the lunches, I hated getting a boot up the backside. (Laughs) I hated it - BARRON: Talk to your employer. ELLIOTT: He’s dead (laughs). He’s dead – he died. It must have been what I bought him back for lunch. What I’m trying to say is, is it easier for a person over thirty or forty to learn because they haven’t got to do all that rubbish, they haven’t got to go and buy the lunch, they haven’t got to go out and put bets at the TAB for people that - other journeymen working alongside them. All they’ve got to worry about is learning the subject, so is it easier to teach people like that? BARRON: Well, I think people over forty obviously bring to a new career option a lot more, you know, maturity, life skills etc, etc, so - but they make a choice as to what traineeship they undertake, it’s rare – with these figures you’ve quoted – that there would be too many four year apprenticeships undertaken by people over forty. Clearly they are looking at the shorter options of traineeships in some of the industries I mentioned before. And yes, of course having had life experience and work before, they bring a different perspective to their new job and their new opportunity. ELLIOTT: Jim, is there any guarantee for people undertaking these courses that they can get work? I suppose at the end of the day they’re still inexperienced except for their training, aren’t they. BARRON: Well, there’s no guarantees in life – as you know – but I think a lot of people are making these, often, very courageous decisions to sort of change their lifestyle mid-life, often forced on them by economic decisions. They realise if they have to retrain to become relevant again to … in the minds of employers, they take their risks and they work as hard as they can. What comes at the end of that is really up to them, but also up to the opportunities available with their particular, you know, choice in the labour market. ELLIOTT: How do you go about it? Do you find the employer, or do you do the course first? BARRON: Well, from a Group Training point of view you can first start by ringing up our 1800 number. ELLIOTT: Which is? BARRON: 1800 818 747. ELLIOTT: Mm hm. BARRON: People who are interested in, sort of, undertaking a traineeship in, say, hospitality, health, protective services, security services, can ring that number. They get through to an individual who’ll be telling them what opportunities are available in particular regions and metropolitan areas. And then they can make their decision, a field officer can have a chat to them, provide them with opportunities and suggestions as what they might want to consider. And then to get - you know, it’s up to them after that. ELLIOTT: All right, thanks for your time Jim. That’s Jim Barron there, chief executive officer of Group Training Australia. END OF SEGMENT |
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