Education

Australian
School-based
Apprenticeships
Over the past two years the department has undertaken
considerable work to repackage and reposition Australian
School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships to
support retention and attainment, skills development of
young people and improve industry workforce planning
and development to support economic growth.
This work has included a major review and analysis of
the delivery and management of Australian School-based
Apprenticeships (ASbA) in Tasmania from 2001–11.
The review has informed and driven the development
of the Department of Education Smart Workforce
Development, A Tasmanian Strategy 2013–2015.
The implementation of this strategy is underpinned by the
following four key action areas:
Action Area 1: ASbA Support Skills Growth
Growing the quality and quantity of ASbA across a range
of targeted industry sectors is the key objective of the
Tasmanian ASbA Strategy Action Plan. Specifically, the plan
aims to increase the engagement of industry sectors
that have been identified in the Tasmanian Economic
Development Plan. The department is working closely with
the transport and logistics, aquaculture, construction,
hospitality and tourism industry sectors on the
development of ASbA workforce development initiatives
for each of these industry sectors.
Action Area 2: Marketing and Promotion
of ASbA
There are a broad range of stakeholders involved in
ASbA, however, for many of them, access to accurate
and high quality information and advice on ASbA has
not always been easy to find. To address this issue the
department has undertaken the initial mapping for the
development of an ASbA information portal. This portal
will provide a centralised point of information which
promotes ASbA to students, schools, parents and
employers, providing them with access to high quality
information on ASbA initiatives, requirements and
approved pathways.
Action Area 3: Improved Quality of
ASbA Delivery and Management
An ASbA program is most effective when all stakeholders
work collaboratively to support young people and
employers, however, many ASbA stakeholders have
differing roles and responsibilities. Some stakeholders are
easily identified while others work behind the scenes to
provide support and maintain quality standards.
The department has been working collaboratively with
ASbA stakeholders to identify and implement a best
practice approach towards coordination, management
and support of ASbA.
Action Area 4: ASbA Quality Assurance
and Continuous Improvement
Although the Tasmanian ASbA strategy targets the
development of key actions to improve both the quality
and outcomes of ASbA programs in Tasmania, it is
critical that we remain open to the possibility of further
improvement. It is for this reason that systems and
procedures are being developed to ensure all aspects of
ASbA programs are monitored, reviewed and improved.
This will ensure that they are able to operate within
the requirements of any future educational, social,
employment or economic changes that may occur.
Post-Compulsory Education and Skills Development
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