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Speaker 1: Now, we have been speaking about the workforce shortage across

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Speaker 1: some well different industries. We've been talking more broadly, we've

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Speaker 1: been talking more specifically, I should say about it this

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Speaker 1: morning when it comes to the taxi industry. But we

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Speaker 1: know that it's having an impact right across the board,

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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

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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