[return to The Deskilling of 100,000 Skilled Tradesmen][go to end]
Mr Thor May
4/12 Wallace Street
BRUNSWICK WEST VIC 3055
Dear Mr May
I refer to your letter of 7 August 1997 regarding the Modern Australian Apprenticeship and Traineeship Scheme (MAATS).
The very bleak picture which you have presented about MAATS and the effective abandonment of proper technical training is of obvious concern to the Opposition.
Your assessment of a range of factors in this area is alarming, including the inability to obtain easy, affordable accredited bridging qualifications, that employers are doubling as trainers irrespective of their qualifications or ability to train, and that a significant percentage of employers/trainers and trainees are unable to grasp the requirements of the traineeship program.
Understandably, these inadequacies would have a wide-ranging impact on the community, not the least of which relates to the shirking of responsibility to people requiring proper training and the possibility that unsafe vehicles will become the norm on Australian roads.
I have referred a copy of your correspondence to the Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training, the Hon Dr David Kemp MP, requesting an investigation of these serious matters. I have also referred a copy to the Shadow Minister for Employment and Training, Martin Ferguson MP, for further consideration by the Opposition.
Thank you for providing this information and for your article from the Campus Review. I would appreciate it if you could keep my office informed of the situation.
Yours sincerely
KIM C BEAZLEY
Parliament House, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600
Phone (06) 277 4022 Fax (06) 277 8495