Apprenticeships management system reviewed 11 times and now suspended

TWO Education Department fat cats on massive salaries have left the public service after wasting more than $20 million over four years on a bungled scheme supposed to help tradies.

Subho Banerjee, who earned up to $350,000, oversaw the program he has since left.

TWO Education Department fat cats on massive salaries have left the public service after wasting more than $20 million over four years on a scheme to help tradies that has been so bungled it still hasn’t got off the ground.

The Australian Apprenticeships Management System, meant to track tradies studying skills to help the government manage shortfalls in vital sectors, is $15 million over its initial budget, has been reviewed 11 times and is so hopelessly unusable it has been suspended without being finalised.

The scheme was meant to show where tradie skills were needed in which industry.

Department of Education secretary Michele Bruniges.

The total cost to the public will be at least $24 million, with the final review by PricewaterhouseCoopers costing $185,497 alone.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal department deputy secretary Subho Banerjee left his position earl­ier this month.

He had taken “personal leave” for most of April just days after being forced to clar­ify incorrect information given about the scheme during Parliamentary hearings.

Emails reveal Dr Banerjee, who earned up to $350,000, oversaw the program.

TAFE, SKILLS SHORTAGE: BOSS BLAMES UNFAIR LOANS

Education Department secretary Mich­elle Bruniges told staff on April 4 that “Subho Banerjee is on personal leave for the next month” and on May 1 wrote he had “decided to leave ... to pursue other opportunities”.

A senior manager in Mr Banerjee’s office has also left.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Dr Banerjee could not be reached for comment, and an Education Department spokesman declined to ­answer questions.

Dr Banerjee was initially questioned about the scheme, which was meant to be finished by July 2016, by Labor skills spokesman Doug Cameron.

He said the waste of money was “another major blow to the apprenticeship system”.

The government’s Digital Transformation Agency was forced to step in late last year after it found a “worsening overall  status”  from “Amber to Red”.

“The government has failed to reach agreements with the states on its Skilling Australians Fund and they have been incapable of delivering on a modest IT project,” he said.

“Senator Birmingham should take responsibility for this and stop blaming everyone else.”

The government’s Digital Transformation Agency was forced to step in to deal with the project late last year after it found a “worsening overall status” from “Amber to Red”.

NEC, who was tasked with developing the scheme, declined to comment.