Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU VET teacher Leah McLennan says fees have been waived for hair and beauty students at the uni

Transcript

CDU VET teacher Leah McLennan says fees have been waived for hair and beauty students at the uni · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, we have been speaking about the workforce shortage across
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: some well different industries. We've been talking more broadly, we've
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: been talking more specifically, I should say about it this
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: morning when it comes to the taxi industry. But we
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: know that it's having an impact right across the board,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and in an effort to encourage more students to study hair,
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  Speaker 1: beauty and barbering this year Will Charles Darwin University is
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  Speaker 1: going to be waiving student fees for apprentices enrolled in
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: well some of these courses to assist employers. And indeed
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  Speaker 1: those apprentices now joining me on the line to tell
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  Speaker 1: us a little bit more about the situation is VET
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  Speaker 1: Lecturer in Hair and Beauty Leah McClellan. Good morning to you, Leah. Hi,
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  Speaker 1: how are you? Yeah? Really well, Leah, this sounds like
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  Speaker 1: a fantastic idea.
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  Speaker 2: Talk us through you know what.
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  Speaker 1: Courses we're talking about here?
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  Speaker 2: Okay, So we're talking about Certificate three in hairdressing and
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  Speaker 2: Barbering apprentices only, so not the full time courses that
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  Speaker 2: are currently run as well, and Certificate three for apprentices
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  Speaker 2: in beauty therapy. So it's a wonderful initiative that's sort
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  Speaker 2: of been I suppose on the cards for quite some
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  Speaker 2: time that we've been really trying to get this over
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  Speaker 2: the line, And when it was announced, I was so
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  Speaker 2: excited because we just feel like it's come at a
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  Speaker 2: really good time, because it's obviously been a bit rough
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  Speaker 2: out there and the retention of apprentices is quite low.
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  Speaker 2: We've been involved with Australian Hairdressing Council and you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's nationwide, so to do something like this, especially for
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  Speaker 2: the territory, I think it's something that we're really proud
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  Speaker 2: of and very happy to announce and I hope hopefully
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  Speaker 2: it's very well received.
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  Speaker 1: It sounds fantastic. I mean, you know, we know that
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  Speaker 1: there's a skill shortage across so many different industries right now,
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  Speaker 1: but how tough is it in our hairdressing and also
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  Speaker 1: beauty and barbering.
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  Speaker 2: Oh look, I can only speak for you know, the
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  Speaker 2: wonderful fellow owners out there. You know, I don't actually
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  Speaker 2: run my own salon or anything, but you know, I
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  Speaker 2: do hear quite a lot of things from you know,
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  Speaker 2: the people that do invest in the industry, in the
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  Speaker 2: future of the industry, and it's tough. It is really tough.
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  Speaker 2: There's it's tough to find fully qualified stuff like senior stylists.
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  Speaker 2: That's probably the toughest. So obviously when that happens, we
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  Speaker 2: generally tend to turn to, you know, the apprenticeship sector
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  Speaker 2: of things, and you know, invest in that and try
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  Speaker 2: and raise your senior you know, from the beginning. So
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  Speaker 2: it seems to be, you know that the plan be
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  Speaker 2: of that, you know, but the hard thing is, you know,
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  Speaker 2: keeping them around and the relationship between employer and apprentice,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, if we can just try and relieve
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  Speaker 2: some of that pressure to help their apprentice retention, then
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  Speaker 2: you know, we'll be very very happy.
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  Speaker 1: Indeed, Lee, how many do you think might actually take
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  Speaker 1: this offer up?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, look, I feel quite a few. We've got to
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  Speaker 2: I think we're looking at quite a healthy intakes or
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  Speaker 2: semester two, which will kick off in July. So I
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  Speaker 2: would you know, I like to think that majority of
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  Speaker 2: them will take this on board. Hopefully they've got some
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  Speaker 2: apprentices knocking on their doors, and I'd like to think
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  Speaker 2: that this will be quite a large relief for small
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  Speaker 2: business owners in the hand and beauty industry.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to ask, what kind of relief
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  Speaker 1: do you reckon that it's you know, will mean for
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  Speaker 1: some of those small business owners, Well, I think.
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  Speaker 2: It just I don't know. I mean, there's obviously they
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  Speaker 2: have to pay their wages, They've got their bills, you know,
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  Speaker 2: like inflation is just crazy at the moment. So I
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  Speaker 2: think that it's really just I know, it's only a
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  Speaker 2: small piece of the pie, but we're talking a three
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  Speaker 2: four thousand dollars waiver over the course of the time,
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  Speaker 2: you know. So and I know that some of them
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  Speaker 2: get you know, I do get phone calls, you know,
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  Speaker 2: saying oh I want to pay them or I want
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  Speaker 2: to you know that they like to be organized with
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  Speaker 2: how they pay things off. So I think this is
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  Speaker 2: just one less stress for them, Yeah, which hortally helped. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And is it like, is it something that we're now
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  Speaker 1: doing quite differently like this with this initiative that's happening
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  Speaker 1: now through Charles Dale and University. Is it something that's
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  Speaker 1: quite different in terms of other states not doing you know,
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  Speaker 1: not doing it. Do you think it will set us
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  Speaker 1: apart from others? Oh?
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  Speaker 2: I really hope. So. So that's probably a question that
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  Speaker 2: I didn't ask when we attended Industry Day in Sydney
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  Speaker 2: last weekend. But I do think I do feel like
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  Speaker 2: it will set us aside slightly, and hopefully it does
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  Speaker 2: start a bit of a trend because you know, like
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  Speaker 2: I said, it's all about retention. So there are things
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  Speaker 2: that we could all be doing to help our industry.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we don't want to nose dive. You know,
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  Speaker 2: the stats aren't healthy for apprentice intakes at the minute
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  Speaker 2: compared to ten years ago. So I think that, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I think it will set us aside quite significantly.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon it sounds fantastically and as you've said, you know,
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  Speaker 1: if we can help those small businesses, help to fill
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  Speaker 1: some of those jobs, well, let's you know, it can
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  Speaker 1: only be a good thing. So I really hope that
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  Speaker 1: we have plenty of people take this up. But you'll
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  Speaker 1: have to let us know, you know, maybe in a
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  Speaker 1: little while at the start of semester two. How it's
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  Speaker 1: all tracking.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I would absolutely love to keep you updated on
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  Speaker 2: how the progress goes. We're so excited. So with any luck, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: you could even come in and have a haircut, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: You know.
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  Speaker 2: Whatever.
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  Speaker 1: I would love that, Leah. When I was a UNI
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  Speaker 1: student and had no money, I used to go to
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  Speaker 1: to the you know, to the to the university in
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  Speaker 1: Townsville and get my hair done at the salon where
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  Speaker 1: the trainees were learning or the apprentices were learning. And
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  Speaker 1: it was fantastic and much cheaper for me than going
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  Speaker 1: into a salon when I.
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  Speaker 2: Was broke, exactly exactly. And we need everyone, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the more exposure and experience they get is you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's only going to help, you know, build their skills, fir.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, and it is.
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  Speaker 2: It's a bit of a unique experience as well because
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  Speaker 2: it's a salon, but it's a training salon.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, it's a good thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, good on you.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's fantastic and you know, a wonderful thing
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  Speaker 1: to hear that that we're sort of doing something that's
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  Speaker 1: a bit different to some of the others to try
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  Speaker 1: and keep keep well territories here but also to try
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  Speaker 1: and get industry moving and you can fill some of
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  Speaker 1: those jobs. Leah lovely to speak to you this morning.
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Katie, and thanks for helping us
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  Speaker 2: get the message out there.
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  Speaker 1: No worries at all, thank you. Thanks Lea