No Hope for Kids Wanting Apprenticeships With 100,000 Skilled Workers Being Brought In 7/9/2005
The Howard Government plans to bring in 100,000 skilled tradesmen this coming year.
What a misguided move! If there is a shortage of skilled workers in some areas, let's train our unemployed, our under-employed, our school-leavers or our retrenched mature age workers to take up the trades.
Numbers taking up University or TAFE courses are falling every year. According to the Government's own website, www.immi.gov.au you get 50 or 60 points out of the 120 required for entry if you are in certain trades, but only 15 or 20 for being able to speak English.
What do we want? Migrants who can speak English and assimilate or migrants who will take our jobs?
It may be cheaper to bring in migrants pre-skilled, but isn't giving the next generation a start in life more important than the almighty dollar? The high rate of teenage suicide and drug taking among young people is directly related to the decline of productive, absorbing, skilled jobs. We know there are plenty who "don't want to work", but maybe they just want a little kick along.
Mr Howard - plan for the future, and the present will take care of itself.