Electricians have warned that customers and apprentices could be in danger after a private college accused of questionable recruitment practices was appointed as the training provider for a peak industry body.
On Monday, industry body Master Electricians Australia announced that it was joining the private college network, Careers Australia, to deliver its apprentice training for hundreds of the country's future electricians.
Figures from the Department of Education and Training released in August revealed that only one in 10 who enrolled in Careers Australia courses in 2012 had completed their studies by 2014. Revised figures from Careers Australia state that 23 per cent of students completed training in 2012 and 31 per cent in 2013.
The Minister for Education, Simon Birmingham, expressed concern in August about the low completion rates, calling them "completely unacceptable."
In February the company was accused of using door-to-door salespeople to target potential students in disadvantaged areas through enrolling students with fake exams and free laptops.
The allegations led to the resignation of the company's managing director, Patrick McKendry, from the federal government's Vocational Education and Training Advisory Board so that an investigation could be completed.
A company spokesman said that the allegations related to one third-party supplier, Learning Guru, whose services were suspended after a month when Careers Australia identified irregularities in student referrals
On Wednesday NSW Skills Minister John Barilaro said that the company will be subject to performance monitoring with any adverse findings leading to sanctions including suspension or termination of their contract, through the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
"There is no place in NSW for training providers who promise the world and instead give an atlas. You have to protect the consumer and ensure they are safeguarded," he said.
Careers Australia said it was confident that the new partnership to deliver on-site and online training with Master Electricians would spread throughout other trades.
"While this is a first for industry, we believe it will be signal the start of a shift to this kind of training partnership model for a range of industries right across the nation," said Mr McKendry.
The chief executive of Master Electricians, Malcolm Richards, said that the change was necessary to create a more efficient workforce.
"Many members have flagged concerns about the disruption their businesses suffer when they lose apprentices to the classroom for weeks at a time," Mr Richards said.
Fourth year apprentice Jackson McKee said that the shift out of the classroom could come at the cost of safety.
"We all want to go home safely and we all want a safe home to live in," he said.
The 23-year-old said that the quality of teaching had been declining across the sector under de-regulation and an increase in on-site teaching.
"There are teachers putting answers on boards and thats it. Once you take away the challenge of learning then what do you get? Monkeys who can read."
The Electrical Trades Union said that it was "deeply concerned" by the developments.
"It is worrying that an employer group like Master Electricians is willing to partner with Careers Australia given their previous conduct, which is on the public record," said Electrical Trades Union apprenticeships officer Mark Burgess.
A spokesman for Careers Australia said that the expertise of both organisations would only enhance the quality of training.
"The benefit of this new partnership is that the theoretical side of the training can be delivered by highly qualified trainers across a number of platforms," he said.
A spokeswoman for Master Electricians said the organisation had the best safety and training record in the nation.
"There is no stronger advocate for electrical safety," she said.
The new Federal Minister for Vocational Education, Luke Hartsuyker, was unavailable for comment on the impact of the partnership.
