Time cut

APPRENTICESHIPS in a further 17 trades will be cut from four to three-and-a-half years under changes announced by the state government. Training Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said apprentices would receive their qualifications when they had attained the necessary skills, rather than when they had completed their time. “The competency-based system means apprentices can now get a trade certificate when they can do the job rather than based on how long they have spent in training,” she said. The changes to apprenticeships in furnishing, horticulture, butchering, hospitality and hairdressing follow major reforms in the residential housing, general construction, metal trade and automotive sectors. The move follows previous efforts to streamline other apprenticeship programs.