Never Waste A Crisis – Let’s Fix Vet Training

As the fallout from COVID-19 was shuttering businesses across our industry in March, our peak body ACETA (Australian Commercial & Entertainment Technology Association) were in the trenches along with Live Performance Australia and our union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, lobbying government for assistance.

As JobKeeper had yet to be announced, ACETA proposed a ‘Get Paid To Train’ programme that would have leveraged online learning resources to get techs paid to upskill while stood down.

While JobKeeper largely negated the urgent need for this, ACETA received the following interesting reply from Ms Camille Crowther, Senior Adviser to Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business.

“I commend ACETA on its proposal to encourage out of work crew, technicians and sole traders in the entertainment industry to undertake online training offered by manufacturers and distributors during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Ms Camille Crowther went on to outline the JobSeeker and JobKeeper packages and other financial measures recently put in place, before getting to the issue with the most potential upside for our industry – contributing to and changing the VET system:

“The myskills website at www.myskills.gov.au, provides information on nationally recognised VET courses, training providers offering these courses, and subsidies or funding offered. The CUA Creative Arts and Culture Training Package largely covers VET for the entertainment industry’s workforce…”

“More broadly, ACETA and its members are welcome to engage in the Government’s arrangements for training package review and update, as overseen by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC), to ensure the national VET system caters to the knowledge and skill needs of the entertainment industry’s workforce – now and into the future.

“The Culture and Related Industries Industry Reference Committee (IRC) advises the AISC on updates to the CUA Training Package and undertakes public consultation with support from its skills service organisation PwC Skills for Australia.

“ACETA members might like to register their interest in receiving notifications about opportunities to provide input into the IRC’s work through PwC’s website at www.skillsforaustralia.com.”

The inadequacy of existing VET training courses in providing the skills required to work in our industry has long been an issue for every sector, from live to production to AV integration. With PM Scott Morrison announcing the ‘JobMaker’ scheme on Tuesday 26 May which seeks to give industries greater power to shape training, and align federal funding more in line with industry’s needs, this is the perfect time to make our industry’s training needs heard at a federal level.

You can’t fix it if you don’t speak up!

CX Magazine – June 2020   

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