Calder Cam: Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is subject to correctionCalder Cam: Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 05 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14368. Text is subject to correction.]Dr CAM CALDER (National): It is a great pleasure to rise and take a call on the Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill. I thank my colleague Grant Robertson on the other side of the House for his contribution. We will look forward to dealing with that when the bill is referred to the Education and Science Committee.The Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill is a vital part of this Government’s investment in industry training. As we heard from the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment when he made his first reading speech to the House in the 10 years to 2010 Government funding for industry training organisations almost trebled—almost trebled. Unfortunately the funding increases were not matched with sufficient accountability for the funding. We heard that under the previous Government around 100000 people a year listed as being in industry training were in fact phantom trainees—phantom trainees.I am not sure whether that was “Mr Walker” “The Ghost Who Walks” or whether we might have had Clark Kent or possibly Sherlock Holmes but there were a lot of people who did not actually exist. [Interruption] They achieved no credits—not surprisingly—because they did not exist and in fact some Mr Prasad were dead. Yes Mr Prasad—actually dead. They were not trainees. They were not in training. They were not alive. That parrot was nailed to the perch Mr Prasad. Under Labour some industry trainers combed the headstones in graveyards or drew fromThe Egyptian Book of the Dead to get the names for their trainees.Progress in improving students’ skills and achievement levels was zombie-like. The sector was in a parlous state due to Labour’s lack of oversight for those who were actually alive. That led to the level of training they received being such that it was insufficient to unlock the potential that lay within each one of them. So this bill is extremely important. The Minister got on top of that situation. The Minister has created a bill that it is good to hear has received a certain amount of support already across theHouse. We are overseeing a focus and a move to a results intention in industry training—a results preoccupation. We want to see that those who put in the hard time and effort are rewarded. We want to see that they are in quality training and getting good results so that they can go out and unleash the potential that lies within them all—because it is results that determine the skill level of the workforce not intentions.This bill the Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill implements the findings of the widespread Government industry training review we undertook. The review led us to uncover this vast walking army of the living dead—who did not actually exist—and to establish a comprehensive apprenticeship system for the future. It also builds greater links between the Government and the industry training sector.The key things we are aiming to do are to improve results for trainees and apprentices keep more 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds engaged in vocational training and help young people on benefits get into training. This is really really important. If we can help folk who are on a benefit give them the skills so they can go out and get a well-paying job it helps them and ultimately it helps our country. We want to help students—it is not rocket science. It is simply that we want to ensure that we help students get the results and the skills they need to succeed in this increasingly complex life.We will continue to work to improve tertiary education and lift achievement for our students and to focus on better outcomes not only for students but also for the taxpayers—not only for students but also for the taxpayers. We know that tertiary education is a passport to higher skills higher wages higher productivity and higher growth for our economy. So ultimately “New Zealand Inc.” wins. There is a personal win for the individual concerned but ultimately our society wins. People are healthier. We know from work done in the UK that a job is one of the greatest determinants of a person’s health. So we know that our population will be healthier and they will be happier if they have the opportunity to get a well-paying job. That is what this Government is doing. It is also growing the economy so there are more jobs out there for those with the skills.We reviewed industry training over 2011 to 2012 and we found that some changes were necessary for the industry training system. We want to make sure that it is well connected to industry with high employer buy-in; that it is educationally sound; that it is coherent with the wider tertiary system; and that it delivers value for money for the employers for the Government and also for the student. This bill makes the amendments required to implement the findings of the review. I look forward to talking further about this bill as it progresses through the House and in the meantime I commend the bill to the House.