The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1012 - 760: Job Grading System

Chapter 1012: Chapter 760: Job Grading System

Minister Kailo was naturally also aware of the issues Arthur was worried about.

Although there have not been many instances of capital oppressing the people in Australasia, it’s mostly due to the results of government policy efforts.

In areas beyond the reach of government policy, capitalist exploitation of the people certainly exists, just not as prominent and serious.

Compulsory education, universities, and technical schools are practically the three pillars of Australasia’s education sector.

But it must be admitted that these three aspects have been very helpful in improving education and are an important reason for the success of Australasia’s education policy.

Since the policy for universities and free education has been established, what remains to be determined is actually just the construction of technical schools.

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After the implementation of free education at the high school level, policies regarding technical schools also need certain changes.

Given the choice, most people would definitely prefer to go to high school rather than technical schools.

Even when free education extends to high school, the number of university students will also increase a lot.

This means that technical schools will not be as popular, and accordingly, the number of skilled workers trained each year will be much less.

To maintain the number of skilled workers, it’s necessary to appropriately raise their pay and social status.

Doing so, however, will be complex, not something the Ministry of Education alone can resolve. To properly address the issues of technical schools and skilled workers, a relevant Cabinet meeting is essential.

July 24, Cabinet Meeting.

At Arthur’s signal, Minister of Education Kailo reported the issues concerning technical schools to the Cabinet Government, sparking heated debate among the cabinet ministers.

After all, technical schools are still very important for Australasia at present.

It’s often said how crucial high academic talent is, but the technical talent trained in technical schools is just as important, if not more so.

Industry needs skilled workers, the Transportation Department needs railway workers, the Ministry of Agriculture needs trained agricultural talents, medical care and education also require a large number of industry enlighteners.

The fact that most of these positions are filled by graduates of technical schools is enough to prove the importance of technical schools for the national industries.

Is it not true that Australasia’s industries have developed so smoothly because technical schools have trained enough workers to ensure operations run effortlessly?

Industry Secretary Joy Melo was the first to put forward his suggestion, “If we increase the salaries and benefits for skilled workers and provide subsidies to those earning below the average skilled worker income, could we raise the percentage of the public entering technical schools?”

Before anyone else could give their opinion, Minister of Finance Hunter quickly said, “That’s not possible, Minister Joey. The government cannot bear such high financial costs, and there is no precedent for this in the world.

In my view, our concerns about the supply of students for technical schools are unnecessary. As long as the economy grows rapidly and the social status and salary of skilled workers are not reduced, the public will not shy away from becoming skilled workers.

Moreover, we still have a large number of immigrants arriving each year. These immigrants are the main recruits trained by technical schools, so there won’t be a shortage of skilled workers in the short term.”

Hearing Minister Hunter’s words, many cabinet members expressed their agreement.

But at the same time, quite a few cabinet ministers also supported improving the treatment of skilled workers to attract more people into technical schools.

Seeing both parties at a standstill, Prime Minister Raul looked toward Minister of Education Kailo and asked, “Minister Kailo, do you have any good suggestions?”

Seeing that the crowd turned their attention to himself, who had raised the issue, Minister Kailo could only stand up and express his opinion, ”

Your Excellency the Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen. In my view, both viewpoints have their merits. Why don’t we compromise and, considering the state Finances, appropriately raise the salary and social status of skilled workers?”

Seeing everyone’s attention on him, Minister Kailo continued, “Regarding this, I have two preliminary suggestions.

First, we should establish a more comprehensive system for skilled workers. Take our steelworkers, for example. For students graduating from technical schools or ordinary workers passing related technical assessments, they could receive a corresponding steelworker technical certificate.

Technical certificates are divided into four levels, corresponding to first-class technicians, second-class technicians, third-class technicians, and fourth-class technicians.

The Ministry of Finance can establish more detailed minimum wage guarantees for these four different levels of skilled workers.

By grading skilled workers, we can possibly prevent inexperienced individuals from taking on certain positions and enhance job safety.”

Secondly, by assessing different levels of technical certificates, workers can also boost their income, which amounts to a form of indirect subsidy.

The second suggestion is to offer tax reductions and exemptions based on the different levels of skilled workers.

I trust that you all understand the significant role that outstanding skilled workers play in our nation and that they are one of the groups we must focus on nurturing.

Once the assessment system is established, we can employ measures such as tax reliefs, subsidies, benefits, and a sufficient amount of publicity to enhance skilled workers’ motivation to advance their technical levels.

We can even adjust tax reductions for enterprises and factories according to the level and number of skilled workers they employ, thereby strengthening society’s overall regard and development efforts for skilled workers.

With such policies in place, the public’s enthusiasm for becoming skilled workers won’t wane, and the impact on the national finances would not be significant.”

Prime Minister Raul nodded his head, expressing satisfaction with Minister Kailo’s proposal.

Actually, thinking back, as Minister Kailo was the one to raise this issue, he had inevitably spent more time pondering it.

From what we can see now, Minister Kailo’s proposals indeed seem to be more effective and reasonable. By classifying skilled workers into different levels and issuing certificates, not only can enterprises accurately recognize the abilities of skilled workers, but they can also offer higher wages to those who truly possess the skills.

However, a critical aspect that needs attention is the control over technical assessments.

While the system is good, it is not without flaws. First and foremost, we must strictly control technical assessments to ensure there is no room for cheating or bribery.

After all, the technical certificates issued by the government are to some extent quite persuasive. But if many people have certificates without the corresponding abilities, it undermines the credibility of the government.

“Minister Kailo, the classification and assessment of skilled workers’ levels will be tasked to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Industry.

I hope there will be no cheating in the technical assessments. Our goal is to cultivate more exceptional technical talents for the country, not to allow some to exploit policy loopholes. Do you understand?” Prime Minister Raul said, looking sternly at Minister Kailo.

“I understand, Your Excellency,” Minister Kailo replied seriously, turning his gaze to Minister of Industry Joey, who also nodded.

Although technical schools are also overseen by the Ministry of Education, the majority of skilled workers they produce are in the industrial sector.

Naturally, all departments employ a certain number of skilled workers, which means the classification and assessment of skilled workers’ levels require the joint supervision and effort of all departments.

“Therefore, the assessment of skilled workers will temporarily be set as either conducted by government-recognized technical schools or at government-established technical assessment sites.

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For the time being, the assessments will be free of charge, but limited to twice per year. If someone wishes to retake the assessment for a third time, they must pay an additional fee.” Prime Minister Raul summarized, “This will effectively control the number of people taking the technical assessments and will not impact government operations for the time being.”

After a brief discussion by the Cabinet Government, the plan regarding the classification and assessment system for skilled workers was promptly submitted to Arthur’s desk.

After a quick scan, Arthur was quite satisfied with the plan deliberated by the Cabinet.

In fact, such an assessment system was already very similar to those of later generations. Each level of skilled worker would enjoy different minimum wage protections and tax reductions, encouraging those at lower levels to strive towards becoming higher-level skilled workers.

Under the influence of such a system, it’s believed that Australasia will soon have a surplus of high-level skilled workers, which will be greatly beneficial to the nation’s development and construction.

Once approved by Arthur, the policy on the classification and assessment system for skilled workers was soon made public and initially implemented in Sydney and Melbourne.

Even the lowest level workers, that is, level one skilled workers, could enjoy a minimum wage above the average income level (143 Australian Dollars) and a 2% tax reduction.

Moving up, level two skilled workers would have a minimum wage guarantee of 178 Australian Dollars and a 3% tax reduction.

Level three skilled workers could enjoy a minimum wage guarantee of 225 Australian Dollars and a 3.5% tax reduction.

The highest-level, level four workers, could get a minimum wage guarantee of 275 Australian Dollars and a 5% tax reduction.

This four-tier system of skilled workers would also become the standard for assessing all workers. Workers who did not pass the technical assessment would be considered ordinary workers, and their minimum wage would follow Australasia’s labor law.

At present, the income for the highest level, level four skilled workers, equates to around double the average income, making it not so excessively high.

But in reality, the minimum income does not represent the actual income of skilled workers. Factories and enterprises would also negotiate wages according to the abilities of skilled workers.

The so-called minimum wage protection is just to ensure that skilled workers receive a minimal sum of money, but most people’s incomes would vastly exceed the minimum wage.