Review of Building and Construction Industry Training Fund

4/3/94

The State Government's Building and Construction Industry Training Fund (BCITF) will be reviewed.

Employment and Training Minister Norman Moore said today the review would examine whether the fund had achieved the improvements in building industry training for which it was established.

The BCITF was created in July 1991, and required the payment of a training levy of point-two per cent on the value of construction work carried out in Western Australia.

The fund aimed at improving the quality of training and to increase the number of skilled people in the building and construction industry.

Mr Moore said the legislation, under which the fund was established, required it to be reviewed this year.

The review would be headed by Mr Len Hitchen, a former executive director of the Public Service Board of WA.

Mr Hitchen was also the inaugural director of Industrial Training and a former chief executive officer of the WA Tourism Commission.

Terms of reference included:

·       examining the effectiveness of the Building and Construction Industry Training Board established under the Act;

·       evaluating the efficiency of collection of the levy, the control and administration of the funding;

·       considering the effectiveness of plans which set out the annual priorities for the allocation of levy funds;

·       examining whether the Act should continue in operation and, if so, recommending any changes to the role, structure, and operation of the board and the levy, to improve effectiveness in achieving the purpose for which the Act was created.

Mr Moore said the review would report to him by the end of May.

A press advertisement would be placed, inviting submissions from interested parties.

Any inquiries could be addressed to Mr Alan Marshall, executive officer to the review on 321 6800.

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444 / 222 9595