Training providers have typically charged up front the full cost of the training and didn’t really have any risk. That’s fine if they’re in business only to get what they can out of it. Others with a passion for their craft want to get more people into their industry and are prepared to take a risk on unemployed people who would never otherwise get the chance to train in these sorts of careers because of their financial circumstances.

The government is taking an enormous risk in providing the funds for the PPP. It makes good fiscal sense to limit the amount spent per course to allow for the most people to benefit from the program. And it makes sense to share some of the risk with the businesses that stand to benefit most from the funds.

While I admit that the government has been extremely tight with funding for some qualifications, and they could have handled the initial administration of the program better, the program is beginning to produce results.

In an economic climate of uncertainty it’s more sensible to spend money on training for the future than it is to give money away for people to spend in stores that are sacking staff as the recession deepens. They should put the money into keeping people employed and employable for the future through training programs like the PPP.

Affordable training has NEVER hurt an industry. It has only made it stronger. And the bottom line is: Those organisations that have joined the PPP are more likely to get people through their doors during the economic slowdown than those who want to charge $20000 for a course.