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To: The Victorian Government

We Need Safe Apprenticeships

Young Workers Centre

The Victorian Government has announced its response to the Apprenticeship Taskforce report, accepting all recommendations.

The taskforce was established in response to a Young Workers Centre campaign highlighting apprenticeship issues, including low apprentice completion rates (52.3% in Victoria) and high rates of injury.

The Young Workers Centre is celebrating the Government’s response, which it says will save lives, improve rates of apprenticeship completion, and lead to cultural change in the workforce.

The taskforce’s 16 recommendations included establishing an independent regulator, introducing employer registration and standards, new monitoring and enforcement powers, and providing education to apprentices and employers.

Director of the Young Workers Centre, Felicity Sowerbutts, said:
“This is an important win for young workers. The Government’s commitments today will mean safer and fairer apprenticeships for young workers in Victoria.”

“The Government’s acceptance of the taskforce’s recommendations, which include establishing an independent regulator and introducing employer registration and standards, represent a victory for the apprentices and young workers who have tirelessly campaigned to “Ban Bad Bosses”.”

“Apprentices shared their stories in the media, organised community support, met with MPs, and have contributed to the taskforce. Together we have won generational change”.

“We’re thrilled that the Allan Government has now accepted the recommendations, and will act to introduce employer registration, standards, and monitoring and enforcement powers that will protect young workers from unfit bosses.”

“This shows when young workers come together, we can win big change”.

“An independent regulator with strong powers to monitor and enforce means that employers won’t be able to get away with mistreating young workers, one apprentice after another.”

“In some respects, the work begins now. Legislative changes and implementation of the recommendations must happen speedily so apprentices aren’t mistreated at work any longer”.

All apprentices deserve safety, respect and training at work - but right now, the system is broken. Many apprentices - hairdressers, chefs, construction workers and electricians - experience bullying, wage theft, unsafe working conditions and poor training, and bosses are getting away with it.

Right now it’s easier to hire an apprentice than to hire a car – and these are young lives and futures at stake. There's currently no adequate vetting system in place for bosses and employers are rarely supervised or checked up on. That means that so many unscrupulous bosses are allowed to continually mistreat and churn through apprentices like butter.

That's why we're calling on the Victorian government to regulate our apprenticeship system to stop cowboy operators who are putting apprentices at risk, and recognise good employers who are doing the right thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt70LiND8YY

Why is this important?

A good apprenticeship provides all the tools you need to get started in a trade, setting you on the path to a rewarding career.

But these days, some apprenticeships can be like the Wild West, with cowboy operators not properly training us, leaving us unsupervised, stealing our wages or - worst of all - putting our lives at risk by forcing us to do unsafe work.

I went through a lot of this during my apprenticeship.

I was excited to start my Boilermaker apprenticeship. I said to everyone; I want to fabricate things, forge things and it's going to be really cool.

But during my apprenticeship I'd be working inside these barrels, no ventilation, no extraction fans, nothing. I'd have a p95 mask and I'd be in there for four hours, but within an hour the thing would be black and you couldn't breathe through it. I'd ask the boss for a new one and he would ask why I'd needed it.

Often there was no one supervising me and the boss wouldn't release me and the other apprentices so we could go to Tafe.

Unfortunately, my story isn't unique. It's become so bad that only half of Victorian apprentices ever finish their training. This has to stop.

I'm joining forces with other apprentices and young workers to campaign for change. Sign our petition to call on the Victorian Government to fix the apprenticeship system and protect all apprentices from abuse and exploitation.

Partner

Updates

2023-02-28 23:04:00 +1100

10,000 signatures reached

2022-11-14 13:22:39 +1100

Petition is successful with 9,671 signatures

2021-12-04 15:51:38 +1100

5,000 signatures reached

2021-05-14 09:24:10 +1000

Check out this episode of Hack https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/hack/13334018 where Acting Director of the Young Workers Centre, Mairead, talks about unsafe apprenticeships, and Jae talks about his bad experience as a young apprentice.

2021-05-06 18:46:32 +1000

1,000 signatures reached

2021-05-06 17:08:06 +1000

500 signatures reached