A $61.6 million investment from the Victorian Government will fund an extra 10,000 places across the TAFE and training system for people looking to re-skill after the pandemic and move into healthcare and other in-demand jobs.
State Member for Monbulk, James Merlino MP today announced the $61.6 million investment aimed to give more locals the opportunity to get new skills for a secure job in their local community across Victoria.
Jobseekers can choose to study any VET course, including from the government’s free TAFE list, at any TAFE Campus. Even Victorians who already have another qualification can still access these training places at any TAFE across the state if they’re looking to re-skill or change careers.
This investment aims to boost the number of local highly skilled workers for jobs now and into the future – particularly in high-demand industries such as healthcare, hospitality, early childhood education, construction and trades.
In 2020, the most popular courses across the TAFE system included mental health, nursing and allied health assistance, as the pandemic highlighted the importance of a strong health and care workforce.
More than 100,000 Victorians have already signed up to our Free TAFE program since it was introduced in 2019, making rewarding career pathways accessible to more people and saving them more than $220 million in cumulative course fees.
The Labor Government has kept our promise to save and rebuild TAFE with a record $1.7 billion investment to ensure Victorians have access to high quality skills and training to and rewarding career pathways.
“TAFE is the engine room of Victoria – giving Victorians great opportunities, boosting local industries and strengthening our economy – and now we’re making it even easier to get the training you need for in-demand jobs.” said Member for Monbulk, James Merlino MP.
“These extra subsidised places will create more opportunities for jobseekers in the Dandenong Ranges who might have been retrenched during the pandemic, are looking to change careers or have already got a qualification in another area.” he continued.