12. NICKY WAGNER (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What progress has been made on the Youth Guarantee?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
I am very pleased to inform the House that over the last 3 years we have had a huge focus on providing more options for 16 and 17-year-olds who are at risk of dropping out of school, or who have in fact left school. That is why the wider Youth Guarantee number of places will rise to 10,000 next year, and to 12,500 by 2014. From a standing start we have established eight trades academies, and announced another 13 to come. We opened another eight service academies in 2010, and have announced another eight to come. We are setting up vocational pathways to improve the transition from education to employment, and we are providing more facilities, such as teen parent units, and have invested more in alternative education.
Although we are still in the first year of trades academies, we are already seeing really encouraging progress. In the trades academies, 93 percent of students have had attendance rates of 80 percent or better, which is slightly better than senior secondary school rates. We are seeing Youth Guarantee course completion rates of about 63 percent. Again, this compares favourably to general tertiary results, and remember that these are our most at-risk students. When I go around the country and talk to these young people, they are overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic, and they tell me that for many, many of them, education seems relevant for the first time. This Government is absolutely committed to giving these young people the best possible results, and we are already getting a good start.