Have you ever been watching an episode of ‘The Block’ or ‘Domestic Blitz’ and found yourself wishing that everyday tradesman Scott Cam was employed by the Australian government? Well buddy, do I have news for you.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday that he would be joining forces with Cam to try and get more young people to take up a trade.
Personally, I’m not sure how many young people know who Scott Cam is or care what he has to say, but it’s a nice gesture all the same and helps tap into the Coalition government’s continuing mantra that everything is fine and will continue being fine as long as we don’t change anything (remember the ’90s?!)
The Gold Logie winner will be the first “national careers ambassador” in Australia’s history, working to show young Aussies how practical and technical training can end in lucrative careers. Hell, maybe you’ll even get your own reality show.
“Scott Cam is proof that undertaking a trade can be a very valuable, rewarding and successful career choice, and there are plenty more who can tell a similar story to Scott,” said Morrison.
“By learning a trade you’ll earn more, your skills will be in demand, and you’ll help build our country and keep our economy strong.”
“I want to see more Australians become plumbers, electricians and bakers than lawyers and consultants. I would like to see more of them going on to become their own boss.”
Michaelia Cash, employment and skills minister, said Cam will work with the National Careers Institute, but shied away from discussing how much the government was coughing up to employ the country’s most famous “tradie.”
Michaelia Cash says Scott Cam’s salary is “commercial in confidence” but the role is “about outcomes”. She hasn’t named any outcomes yet except young people looking up to him because it shows tradies can do anything. #auspol
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) October 9, 2019
It’s definitely an interesting move from a Coalition government that has routinely made budget cuts to the more traditional ways of helping kids out, all but ignoring TAFE in the latest budget, having 140,000 fewer apprentices then when it was elected, and cutting $3 billion from vocational education.
In April, the Australian Education Union’s federal president Correna Haythorpe accused the Morrison government of having an agenda of privatising vocational education in Australia. The chief executive of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, Troy Williams, told the AFR the government’s spending priorities were confused.
Here’s hoping the employment of Scotty Cam helps clear a few things up.
