Apprenticeships for the 21st Century

Apprenticeships for the 21st Century Introduction The selected reports address the need to reform the Australian Apprenticeship system to give participants the right skills that will impact the Australian labor market positively. The report of the Panel chaired by Mr. Jim McDowell titled A Shared Responsibility – Apprenticeships for the 21st Century mentions that there is need to come up with a system that is more efficient and capable of producing a large number of highly trained, skillful and highly inspired workers (McDowell et al 2011).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Apprenticeships for the 21st Century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other reports echo on this sentiment, for example, the report by Amy Simons titled Report savages apprenticeship system blames the current system for causing young Australians to relinquish their occupations (Simmons 2011). The reports stress the need to simplify and streamline the system to impart skills tha t are crucial to the growth of the Australian economy (Evans 2011), similar calls are made by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) (ACTU 2011). The Housing Industry of Australia (HIA) contends that plans to reform the system are welcome, but the industry must be involved in coming up with a better system that ensures apprentices get employment opportunities (HIA 2011). The final report by the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) commends the report by McDowell et al and says that it presents ‘the opportunity for real reform of the apprenticeship system after many years of tinkering’ (Ai Group 2011). Points or Arguments The reports agree on one issue: the Australian Apprenticeship system needs urgent reforms, and the recommendations by the government-appointed panel chaired by Mr. McDowell are vital towards achieving the reforms. The reports cite several weaknesses in the current program as a justification for the reforms, majorly, the low completion rates. Simm ons mentions that more than half of those enrolled in apprenticeship programs drop out of the system. This anomaly is due to the low pay rates. Senator Evans mentions that since 42 percent of those enrolling in apprenticeship programs are aged 25 and above, there is need for a new system that recognizes previous experience or skills, this will motivate more persons to enroll in the program (Evans 2011). Quoting one of the recommendations by the panel, HIA reports that reforms will address the issue of high dropout rates and the will make the system simpler. The reforms will reduce Australia’s over-reliance on imported labor and meet demands of Australian labor market (ACTU 2011). A weakness of the current system is that it contains many difficulties and inconsistencies, and hence the reforms are vital towards overcoming the obscurities (Ai Group 2011).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While the Australian Apprenticeship system continuously provides skilled labor to the market, there is a need for urgent reforms that will lead to the production of a skilled and flexible labor force that has the ability to meet the challenges of the Australian economy in competing with other global economies (McDowell et al 2011). Besides, the new system will meet the changing skill requirements as well as the ambitions and anticipations of the participants. Factors that might Influence the Perspective of the various Stakeholders The assertion that the Australian Apprenticeship system requires urgent reforms is a genuine. However, to win the vote of the various stakeholders in effecting the reforms, the following points must be said of the current system: There have been high dropout rates among persons who enroll in apprenticeship program under the current system. The low completion rates are caused by low wages, a lack of motivation among the particip ants, and receiving education that is obsolete, especially with the constantly changing labor market requirements. In some jobs, an apprentice receives less that $200 a week, this discourages other individuals from taking up apprentice programs. Globalization has increased the movement of labor across the world, the situation is no different in Australia. The current system does not impart knowledge required by the economy, hence it has had to import skilled labor. If this situation persists, the more than 400,000 students enrolled in the Vocational Education and Training (VET), or nearly 4% of the workforce, may lack employment. The youth form the largest proportion of our economy, yet, this is the group that suffers most from unemployment. In the future, social ills and poverty may begin to crop into our society if the current situation is not rectified. This is a wake up call and the first step towards averting the future disaster is to reform the apprenticeship system to avail j obs. References Australian Council of Trade Unions. (2011). Apprenticeship reforms are long overdue  and must be acted on to provide a skilled labour force. Available from actu.org.au/Media/Mediareleases/Apprenticeshipreformsarelongoverdueandmustbeactedontoprovideaskilledlabourforce.aspx Australian Industry Group. (2011), Apprenticeship report an opportunity for real reform. Available from getbusinessadvice.com.au/features/70-education-a-training/1638-apprenticeship-report-an-opportunity-for-real-reform.html?211a80a7893753f6d94e3fcaa7840466=4434ffbfd083e7deb3fe4ae3022cc686 Evans, C. (2011). Reforming the Australian Apprenticeship system. Available from deewr.gov.au/Ministers/Evans/Media/Releases/Pages/Article_110221_112019.aspx Housing Industry of Australia (2011), National Apprenticeship Reform Needs Industry  Input. Available from getbusinessadvice.com.au/the-news/1637-national-apprenticeship-reform-needs-industry-input.html?211a80a7893753f6d94e3fcaa7840466=048772114661331 d1aaa6c5f232214af McDowell, J., et al. (2011). A Shared Responsibility – Apprenticeships for the 21st  Century. Available from www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Apprenticeships for the 21st Century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Simmons, A. (2011). Report savages apprenticeship system. ABC News, February 2011. Available from abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/21/3143831.htm

scopes essay essays

scopes essay essays In the book Summer for the Gods by Edward J. Larson, the ideas of evolution and if it should be taught in the schools are at question. The book talks about the so-called Monkey Trial that took place in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. The whole debate of whether evolution should be taught in schools was in question and school -teacher John Scopes was on trial for teaching his students about evolution. The Scopes Trial was extremely controversial for its time. The whole theory of evolution was just coming into play and many schools had it as a topic of discussion for their science classes. Evolution in general was still not set in stone but many scientists did support the theory and thought it was safe to teach in public school. John Scopes was one such teacher, he thought he would go along with what many had begun to do. It was a very simple topic to many but extremely sensitive to those who were very religious. Evolution went against the notion that god created man. So this is why the trial turned into such a national topic cause the outcome would change the face of how evolution was taught for many years to come. The trial had many key people and players. One such group that took a major stance for the defense was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It was one of the first test cases that the ACLU took part in. The ACLU was known for helping people whose civil rights were in jeopardy. They had Clarence Darrow come down to Tennessee to defend John Scopes. The American Civil Liberties goal during that summer was to make sure and fight for the separation of church and state. Religion should not be a factor when it comes to school issues. Religion was a very separate issue and the defense was going to show that. They also argued that freedom of speech was being violated, Scopes had the right to say as he pleased and by put ...

Large Corporations managing change,internal change drivers and Research Paper - 1

Large Corporations managing change,internal change drivers and catalysts - Research Paper Example In the organizational context researchers define change as â€Å"necessary way of life in most organizations†1. Again, some other researchers have defined organizational change as â€Å"a relatively enduring alteration of the present state of an organization or its components or interrelationships amongst the component and their differential and integral functions, in totality, in order to attain greater feasibility in the framework of the current and future environment†2. The present study intends to investigate the reasons that compel firms to change, and how companies manage the change process. In this regard, the role of internal change drivers and catalysts is vital. Mills and Mills write in their book Understanding Organizational Change that the operations of a company as well as other organizations are affected by a variety to environmental factors such as leadership change, mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, introduction of new products, industrial disputes, political and legal climate, changing consumer preferences and technology3. Change is the only thing constant in the environment and is taking place every day. However, when we refer to organizational change, we are specifically referring to change that has significant impact how employees think about their organization and the changes they need to make in their work to cope with it. Organizational Change is thus referred to as a change in the core aspect of a company’s operations. It has been determined with the previous discussion that for organizations change is not merely inevitable but to a great extent essential for survival. However this does not automatically imply that people would be readily accepting the change. The truth is that changing an established behavior makes people uncomfortable, and the result is resistance4. Implementing change is a very challenging task. The unfamiliar makes the employees suspicious; it is their natural concern