Queensland skills focus in meeting with Deputy President

Queensland’s expertise in skills development and training were a key focus of today’s meeting between Premier Peter Beattie and South Africa’s Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

Mr Beattie invited Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka to Queensland to see the new Queensland Skills Plan first hand after meeting with her to discuss South Africa’s training and education priorities.

“The new $1.1 billion Queensland Skills Plan is a comprehensive package of reforms aimed at addressing the skills shortage problem in Queensland,” Mr Beattie said.

The Deputy President, who spearheads South Africa’s Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition, is at the forefront of a major strategy to increase the skills capacity of the South African workforce to meet their long-term goal of a diversified export base.

“Clearly we are both heading in the same direction, so it would be mutually beneficial for us to share our knowledge and experiences in approaching this critical problem,” Mr Beattie said.

“Queensland’s Skills Plan was launched on March 8, 2006, and although it has only been implemented for a relatively short time we have already achieved some notable outcomes,” Mr Beattie said.

“These outcomes include a reduction in the duration of apprenticeships for hairdressing, hospitality, food processing and some automotive trades from four years to three years.

“The Deputy President has played an important role in strengthening education and training in South Africa to meet the needs of its modern economy and there is significant potential for collaboration between Queensland and South Africa in the skills and training areas.”

Mr Beattie also held talks with South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Ms Elizabeth Thabethe.

Broadening Queensland’s trade and investment relationship with South Africa was at the heart of the meeting with Ms Thabethe.

Mr Beattie invited the Deputy Minister for Trade to lead a trade mission to Queensland in the near future.

“Our new five-year export strategy – Driving Export Growth for Queensland – aims to extend Queensland’s reach to dynamic partner trading countries like South Africa,” Mr Beattie said.

“The strategy supports the growth of Queensland’s knowledge-intensive exports in sectors including ICT, aviation, mining technologies, vocational training and education and biotechnology.”

The Premier told Deputy Minister Thabethe that the Queensland Government had recently established a trade team to support exporters to build business links in South Africa and throughout sub-Sahara Africa.

Media inquiries: Premier’s office 3224 4500

March 23, 2007