Bright future for apprentices: Healey

Changes to apprenticeship training under the recently concluded Future Print Apprenticeship Project have resulted in a new focus, revised content and restructured delivery, resulting, says Bil Healey in an improved system that bodes well for a bright future for industry training

Healey was upbeat about the changes made under the project, which he says will positively influence the future of this type of training.

“The Future Print Apprenticeship Project started with a very specific brief: To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeship system and to design a new and sustainable system of apprenticeship training for the future,” Healey explains by way of introduction, saying a totally new structure underpins the revised apprenticeship model.

“Responsibility for the way industry qualifications are developed and monitored was last year placed in the hands of newly formed bodies known as Industry Reference Committees (IRC) which replace the old Industry Skills Councils and will be supported by Skills Services Organisations (SSOs),” he explains, saying the new structure will provide a more focused approach to training packages going forward.

Healey currently chairs the new IRC for Print & Graphic Arts and says further information on the new arrangements will be circulated throughout the industry in the near future by the group’s SSO, Price Waterhouse Coopers Skills for Australia. 

“One of the final tasks completed by the former Industry Skills Council, IBSA, was a review of the existing ICP Printing & Graphic Arts Training Package which has led to a completely revised package. It is simpler and more aligned to the future needs of the industry,” Healey says.

“This qualification and content review involved, among other things,(i) consolidating 11 existing Certificate III apprenticeship qualifications areas into three new ones: Print Communications, Printing and Print Manufacturing, (ii) establishing a single Certificate II Printing qualification that will support school based and pre- apprenticeship programs and (iii) the development of three new units of competency in 3D printing.”

Healey says the structure and delivery of training has also been revamped in response to employer expectations, with Future Print confirming that employers supported some ‘release’ time to attend classroom instruction.

“This combination of blended learning promotes externally delivered course work, on-the-job training and online modules to make the most of different delivery models and ensure that learnings are brought back into the workplace and translated into meaningful experience and genuine competencies,” Healey says. “It also provides improved return on investment for the employer, as the apprentice is at work for a greater proportion of their time.”

Another contributor to higher value for both employer and employee is the introduction of ‘competency based’ progression which replaces the old ‘time served’ system. Advancement is now based on the achievement of bundles of competencies in the training package.

The process Future Print has developed, to allow the employer to sign off on competence in the workplace through a series of benchmarks, will be employed throughout their training.

“This is fundamentally important as one of the impediments constantly raised by young people to taking up apprenticeships is a reluctance to lock themselves in to what they see as a low paid job for four years,” Healey explains.

“Under the new system, apprentices are in control of how quickly they progress and are rewarded with pay progression which is linked to the achievement of the required competencies at each stage of their qualification. This rewards them for hard work and also typically provides the employer with a competent and useful staff member far earlier than they could previously expect.”

For employers to be happy to provide these pay increases, of course, the benchmarking must reflect not only ‘book knowledge’ but an appropriate display of understanding and capable performance of skills in the workplace. This is covered by a much closer partnership between employers, employees and the RTO, Healey says.

“The new model is far more collaborative, so decisions about the apprentice’s training and progression is very much a three-way conversation, not just an arbitrary determination by the RTO. We’ve also developed a process to assist employers as they take on this more involved role,” Healey says, adding 100% of the employers who piloted the competency progression benchmarking process strongly endorsed it.

“When you are talking about training for an industry which is as diverse and dynamic as print and graphic communications, you can never rest on your laurels – however the new apprenticeship training system developed and piloted under the Future Print Apprenticeship Project is a flexible, progressive and intelligent response to the needs of our industry and positions us very well to attract, equip and retain young people for the future.”

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