❓ The Minister for Skills and TAFE details the Cook Labor government's investment in TAFE and training, highlighting a joint national skills agreement with the Commonwealth, fee-free TAFE, and targeted support for Aboriginal communities and workforce development.
AnsweredQoN 674Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TAFE—Investment
674. Ms Emily Hamilton to
the Minister for Skills and TAFE:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to developing a skilled and productive workforce.
(1) Can the minister update the house on the
government's record investment in TAFE and training?
(2) Can the minister advise how this investment is
ensuring Western Australia's economy remains the strongest in the nation?
674. Ms Emily Hamilton to
the Minister for Skills and TAFE:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to developing a skilled and productive workforce.
(1) Can the minister update the house on the
government's record investment in TAFE and training?
(2) Can the minister advise how this investment is
ensuring Western Australia's economy remains the strongest in the nation?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the
question. I have enjoyed hosting the Commonwealth minister at the Bentley and
Midland TAFE sites today, touring the state and visiting our fantastic TAFE
sites. Today the Commonwealth announced a joint national skills agreement with
the Commonwealth TAFE, not only supporting the fee–free TAFE settings,
the $330 million investment in training and the partnership with the Albanese
government to deliver free courses for TAFE; but this particular national
skills agreement will target really important cohorts. It will be supporting
Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal-controlled organisations with an
investment of around $40 million to improve the training and opportunities for
First Nations people, whether it is in regional Western Australia or the
metropolitan area. We know that not everyone has the same starting point in
life. We know that different people need different supports to access the same
sorts of opportunities that many of us take for granted. The Commonwealth will
partner with Aboriginal-controlled organisations to ensure that TAFE is
providing a culturally safe and appropriate learning environment, but it will also
help to build capacity and upskill Aboriginal–controlled training
organisations, which is a growing sector across Western Australia. There are a
lot of opportunities across WA, particularly for First Nations peoples and
communities to engage in the clean energy transition, and this is how we train
them to do that—to actually take that economic opportunity that will
present itself over the coming years.
We will also see $15 million to
grow and retain our high-quality workforce—so a lot of the lecturers who
work in TAFE. Probably our most limiting factor is the number of lecturers that
we have. We can train more people, but we need more people to teach and we need
to support people who are working in industry to come into TAFE and give back
to the next generation and teach our next generation. It will also help to
support a number of those lecturers with behavioural management training and
support students with a whole range of those complexities that people often come
with.
We will also commit $45 million
towards ensuring that apprentices and trainees actually complete their
training. That is on top of the $85 million funding for the Defence Industry
Skills Centre of Excellence and the Clean Energy Skills National Centre of
Excellence. We were out at one of the renewable energy hubs today at Midland,
where we have the tallest working-from-heights tower, which is a replica wind
tower. Trainees can go in there and learn how to operate in a wind tower—it
was very hot and it was very tall; it was not even as tall as an actual wind
tower—and to do that safely working from heights. They also have wind
turbines operating there, donated recently from Synergy, where they can actually
get inside the wind turbine and learn how to fix them. These are the skills for
the future. This is a fantastic partnership with the Albanese government and
one that we look forward to rolling out over the coming years.
question. I have enjoyed hosting the Commonwealth minister at the Bentley and
Midland TAFE sites today, touring the state and visiting our fantastic TAFE
sites. Today the Commonwealth announced a joint national skills agreement with
the Commonwealth TAFE, not only supporting the fee–free TAFE settings,
the $330 million investment in training and the partnership with the Albanese
government to deliver free courses for TAFE; but this particular national
skills agreement will target really important cohorts. It will be supporting
Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal-controlled organisations with an
investment of around $40 million to improve the training and opportunities for
First Nations people, whether it is in regional Western Australia or the
metropolitan area. We know that not everyone has the same starting point in
life. We know that different people need different supports to access the same
sorts of opportunities that many of us take for granted. The Commonwealth will
partner with Aboriginal-controlled organisations to ensure that TAFE is
providing a culturally safe and appropriate learning environment, but it will also
help to build capacity and upskill Aboriginal–controlled training
organisations, which is a growing sector across Western Australia. There are a
lot of opportunities across WA, particularly for First Nations peoples and
communities to engage in the clean energy transition, and this is how we train
them to do that—to actually take that economic opportunity that will
present itself over the coming years.
We will also see $15 million to
grow and retain our high-quality workforce—so a lot of the lecturers who
work in TAFE. Probably our most limiting factor is the number of lecturers that
we have. We can train more people, but we need more people to teach and we need
to support people who are working in industry to come into TAFE and give back
to the next generation and teach our next generation. It will also help to
support a number of those lecturers with behavioural management training and
support students with a whole range of those complexities that people often come
with.
We will also commit $45 million
towards ensuring that apprentices and trainees actually complete their
training. That is on top of the $85 million funding for the Defence Industry
Skills Centre of Excellence and the Clean Energy Skills National Centre of
Excellence. We were out at one of the renewable energy hubs today at Midland,
where we have the tallest working-from-heights tower, which is a replica wind
tower. Trainees can go in there and learn how to operate in a wind tower—it
was very hot and it was very tall; it was not even as tall as an actual wind
tower—and to do that safely working from heights. They also have wind
turbines operating there, donated recently from Synergy, where they can actually
get inside the wind turbine and learn how to fix them. These are the skills for
the future. This is a fantastic partnership with the Albanese government and
one that we look forward to rolling out over the coming years.
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