Budget freezes Trades Training Centre roll-out

The promised 2,650 trades training centres for every high school will be scarcer than hen's teeth as the Government has frozen the trades training centre programme until 2015/16, Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education said today.

"According to the Budget papers, trades training centres due to be funded between 2011/12 and 2014/15 will be frozen, saving the Government $102.8 million," Mr Pyne said.

"How can a Budget that trumpets an emphasis on skills, cut trades training centres and other training programmes?" he said.

I didn't think the roll-out of this program could possibly go any slower, after three and a half years only 70 trades training centres are operational out of the promised 2,650, and now a freeze will mean further delays.

Remember, this policy was the centrepiece of the education programmes announced by Labor in 2007. The so-called education revolution was going to build a trades training centre in every high school.

This freeze will impact on another Labor election promise, the National Trade Cadetship program, which is dependent on students having access to Trades Training Centres.

If there is a freeze on trades training centres only students attending one of the schools that are currently time-sharing existing facilities can participate.

"It all adds up to another shonky education bungle courtesy of a government renowned for its waste and mismanagement," Mr Pyne said.

May 11, 2011

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