03 MARCH 2023 – The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) will be seeking urgent discussions after news that Qantas commits to training engineers through its Qantas Group Engineering Academy.
Qantas Group announced this morning that the Engineering Academy will have capacity to train up to 300 aviation engineers a year when it opens in 2025, with a particular focus on encouraging women to start careers in aircraft engineering.
The AMWU, along with the Qantas Engineers’ Alliance Unions the AWU and ETU, will be seeking commitments that Qantas Group will be directly employing the trainee engineers under the collective agreement and ensuring the Engineering Academy provides the best possible training for new trainees seeking training and accreditation.
AMWU Assistant National Secretary Glenn Thompson said:
"The AMWU cautiously welcomes Qantas Group's announcement that it will establish a dedicated Engineering Academy to train the next generation of aviation engineers.
"For decades, quality industry training and education has been whittled away. The current so-called 'skills shortage' was caused by Qantas offloading their responsibilities to train and skill workers and apprentices before and during the Covid pandemic. This is a welcome step in the opposite direction.
"The AMWU will work with Qantas Group to ensure that Engineering Academy students are directly employed and get quality training aligned with the national skills frameworks so they acquire qualifications that they can take with them throughout their working lives.
"This announcement is a positive indication that industry has identified skills and training as a national priority. We hope to work further with industry and federal and state governments on rebuilding our public vocational education system, with more funding for TAFE at the top of the list."
Media contact: Alex McKinnon 0419 286 145