The University of Newcastle (UON) has been allocated 967 additional university places to train more teachers, nurses, and engineers across Newcastle and the Central Coast with a funding injection of more than $28M.
The allocation is part of the Federal Government’s commitment to providing 20,000 extra university places across Australia to train students from disadvantaged backgrounds in areas where there’s a skills shortage.
The additional places will be allocated to students who experience challenges when it comes to accessing education including those from poorer backgrounds, Indigenous Australians, and students from rural and remote Australia.
The move has been welcomed by Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, and Member for Robertson, Gordon Reid.
“We have a skills crisis on the Coast and across Australia, particularly in health, and we want to encourage local students to upskill and train at a university level, so they can help build our workforce,” McBride said.
“This announcement will help disadvantaged students on the Coast, so they can study nursing, teaching, podiatry or engineering at university and take up a rewarding career in these industries.”
Reid said the announcement delivered on an election commitment to fund additional university places to address the skills shortage.
“This is a great opportunity for students across the Coast who would like to study nursing and midwifery, education, podiatry, and psychology,” he said.
The nationwide commitment will see an investment of up to $485.5M over the next four years.
Source: Media release, Oct 24, 2022 Member for Dobell, Emma McBride