Fed: Labor to commit to targets in new jobs policy

AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2000
Fed: Labor to commit to targets in new jobs policy

CANBERRA, Feb 20 AAP - Labor's long-awaited jobs policy would commit the party to employment
and training targets and a national workforce forecaster, opposition leader Kim Beazley
said today.

Mr Beazley and employment spokeswoman Cheryl Kernot will launch the policy on Wednesday,
five months after its scheduled original release.

It was delayed because of the republic referendum and Ms Kernot's health.

Mr Beazley said the Workforce 2010 study would act as a road map to show how current
economic policies would pan out in ten years, and the likely state of the economy and
workforce.

"One thing that this study will show is that the current state of skills in our workforce
in dealing with an economy ten years from now will be manifestly inadequate," Mr Beazley
told the Nine Network.

"One of the policies we are going to be announcing is the establishment of a national
workforce forecasting council to advise governments on the state of skills, the direction
of the labour market (and) how the skills need to match that labour market," he told the
Nine network.

"The second thing we are going to do is start to commit ourselves to some targets by
the year 2010 and I think the most important of these is that every young person should
exit their teens ... with a post-school qualification."

Mr Beazley said the study would show the current level of skills in the workforce would
be manifestly inadequate in ten years time, highlighting the need for education and training.

While education was not a vote-changing issue at the moment, surpassed by health and
the GST, a concerted Labor campaign would bring the issue to the front of people's minds.

Ms Kernot was admitted to hospital in November with a bout of acute mycoplasma associated
with glandular fever, and the launch will be her first public engagement since her illness.

AAP kmh/arb/de

KEYWORD: JOBS BEAZLEY

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