Western Australian business hopes the first major update of the state’s training laws in more than 30 years will reduce the regulatory and compliance burden on employers of apprentices and trainees.

The state’s peak business organisation, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, has for more than a decade been a leader in calling for the laws to be overhauled and replaced with a simpler and less regulated system.

The current laws impose far too much red-tape on the businesses that are helping train the next generation of skilled workers.

The State Government is to be congratulated for developing the new legislation in consultation with the business community, including CCI, to make it easier for employers to provide career opportunities to tens of thousands of apprentices and trainees.

With CCI research calculating Western Australia will need an extra 400,000 workers over the next decade, any initiative that aims to increase the size and knowledge of the local labour force should be supported.

Labour shortages are the greatest challenge facing small, medium, and large business across Western Australia, limiting their ability to grow and improve their enterprises.

The new laws are just one of a number of ways governments at all levels can help business and industry attract the workers they need to grow and prosper.

CCI also believes the introduction of a new simplified and streamlined training system will encourage a greater number of employers to hire apprentices and trainees, and setting them on the path to a rich and rewarding career.

Statement by CCI Executive Director Employment Services, Geoff Wrigley

Media contact: David Harrison (08) 9365 7680 0419 929 622