Australian Apprenticeship Management System axed six years after proposal

AN antiquated pen and paper tradie tracking system will stay in place indefinitely­ after the Education Department­ sensationally dumped a bungled hi-tech project costing $24 million.

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

AN antiquated pen and paper tradie tracking system will stay in place indefinitely­,after the Education Department­ sensationally dumped a bungled hi-tech project costing $24 million.

A day after The Daily Telegraph revealed two senior bureaucrats including the department’s deputy secretary had left after overseeing the catastrophic bungle, the entire Australian Apprenticeship Management System was thrown away — six years after it was first proposed.

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

Assistant Skills Minister Karen Andrews.

And the Education Department issued a stunning mea culpa, apologising for wasting taxpayer money with absolutely no outcome.

It also released a long-awaited PricewaterhouseCoopers report showing multiple ignored warnings that the system was doomed.

Assistant Skills Minister Karen Andrews said that, “faced with either­ continuing to invest taxpayer dollars trying to fix a troubled project or to cease work, I support the approach not to proceed further”.

The cancellation came after 11 reviews including the PwC audit, which cost $185,000 alone. Subho Banerjee, the department’s deputy secretary who was overseeing the project, left his $350,000 position earlier this month.

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Another senior manager has also retired.

The department is now left using an ageing system described as being “towards the end of its life” when determining what apprenticeships are needed and where.

Just this week TAFE NSW boss Jon Black warned of a massive shortfall in some apprentices such as chefs and carers in parts of the state — 70,000 in Western Sydney alone.

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The AAMS system was meant to have cost about $9 million and be completed by July 2016, but was suspended­ in December after costs hit more than $20 million.

Labor’s skills spokesman Doug Cameron said Education Minister Simon Birmingham should take responsibility.

“Instead of paying PwC $185,497 to deflect the blame from the government onto the public service­ ... Birmingham should explain why so much public money has been wasted on yet another botched­ Turnbull government IT contract,” he said.