New training options set to revolutionise industry vocational education

Under an Australian-first agreement, Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has announced they have partnered with Careers Australia to provide industry training, both online and at campuses across Australia, in a bid to improve the way industry bodies offer educational services.

The centrepiece of the new Master Electricians Training (MET) service offering will be an innovative approach to apprentice training, which gives apprentices and their employers the power and flexibility to choose when and how they access traditional classroom work.

MEA Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Richards said MET would also allow electrical contractors and their staff access to a significantly expanded range of training products for all other areas of their businesses.

“For far too long, businesses in the trades space have been forced to accept a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude in terms of the kinds of training they can access, and when and where that training is delivered,” said Richards.

“We’ve decided to tip this approach on its head by partnering with Careers Australia to provide the best, most modern and most flexible training possible.

“The result is a range of new courses and, importantly, delivery options to suit the needs of every business and employee — ranging from online learning to classroom options in every state.”

The new educational service is designed to help with the disruption businesses suffer when they lose apprentices to the classroom for weeks at a time, as well as offer post-apprenticeship training, management and refresher courses.

“By working in industry, rather than parallel to it, MEA and Careers Australia will make the national training system relevant to the rapidly changing workplace and the nature of work for this current generation of young and old Australians, and for many more generations to come,” said Patrick McKendry, Careers Australia managing director.

“We believe the best ideas, the greatest innovations in skills come from industry and the workplace and that’s why we will be embedded in it. And while this is a first for industry, we believe it will signal the start of a shift to this kind of training partnership model for a range of industries right across the nation.”

The MET course offerings will be available from 6 October 2015. 

For more information, go to www.metraining.edu.au.