I have advised the NSW Government that in the current climate of automotive training in NSW any proposal that compromises the integrity of the apprenticeship system and undermines the intent of automotive trade qualifications does not have the support of MTA NSW.
The model of delivery as proposed by some RTOs that takes a typical four year delivery of an apprenticeship and tries to condense it down to eighteen months or two years will not provide any benefits to industry. While the automotive industry in NSW is suffering from skill shortages these types of proposals will in no way go towards correcting the situation.
If anything these proposals will be counter-productive in that participants that complete this pathway will be seen by industry as having cut corners in the attainment of trade qualifications and as such will struggle to gain employment without the foreseen need for retraining within the workplace.
This encumbers employers with the requirement of taking on trade qualified staff but of then having to supply the practical experience they have not necessarily gained and then also possibly up-skilling them to the level of skill and capability they expect to have from people who have recently completed an apprenticeship.
So, in MTAs view such proposals are counter-productive to the aims of industry to produce and be staffed by highly skilled and capable personnel. The proposed courses reduce the exposure of participants to real life learning opportunities that are integral to the attainment of trade qualifications. A standard four year apprenticeship will provide the apprentice with four years of practical experience gained within their workplace. While participants in the systems that are being proposed program will mainly gain only simulated workplace exposure that is in no way equivalent to the experience and practical skill gained through the traditional apprenticeship delivery pathway. The importance of practice and exposure in workplaces in conjunction with trade qualifications cannot be underestimated nor can it be ignored.
While the AUR05 [Automotive Retail Service and Repair Training Package] allows for delivery and assessment to take place within a simulated workplace environment, the intent of the Training Package and also that of Industry is to have delivery and [more importantly] assessment undertaken within fully functioning workplaces out in the real world.
These alternative proposals are, in our view, unworkable for the members of the MTA NSW and for the broader automotive industry as a whole. As these proposals do not support the outcomes desired by industry for delivery of qualifications at a trade level. These proposals could also impinge on consumer safety in NSW.
While it may not be the intent of the proponents of these programmes to produce participants that have a substandard level of skill and experience this as an outcome is a real possibility. This cannot be discounted when reviewing the implementation of any such proposal. Programs that can lead to comprises in consumer safety in NSW or trade standars will not be tolerated nor endorsed by MTA NSW.
We believe that it is imperative that VTAB maintain its stance against organisations that are seeking to dilute the automotive qualification in order to reap vast profits.
This Association has fought hard to maintain the integrity of these qualifications and it urges all members to protest so as to ensure that such unacceptable programs are not allowed in this State.
