Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Federal Member for Dobell Emma McBride visited Ourimbah TAFE recently to discuss the National Skills Agreement, tour the hospitality facilities and meet the students.
The Federal Government has announced it is prepared to invest $12.6B to expand and transform access to the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, support quality training and implement reforms to address critical skills needs.
The Government aims to encourage states and territories to access the Commonwealth funding available under the National Skills Agreement, resulting in a combined investment by governments exceeding $30B.
The landmark five-year National Skills Agreement (NSA) will take effect from January next year.
This new investment is on top of $414M already committed for the delivery of 300,000 fee-free TAFE places from 2024.
“As a campus where both TAFE and the University of Newcastle sit side by side, Ourimbah campus captures the essence of the new National Skills Agreement,” McBride said.
“The Australian Government has committed $155.19M to support fee-free TAFE in NSW.
“Today we’ve had the pleasure of meeting some hospitality and commercial cooking students who are studying fee-free.
“The food industry is a big employer on the Coast and has a proud history here with 2,900 working in food manufacturing and an estimated value of $1.4B.
“Together with other major initiatives, such as our bulk-billing incentives and Urgent Care Clinics in my own portfolio area of health, this initiative forms a key part of the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to working for Australia and delivering on the priorities of communities like the Central Coast.”
Source:
Federal Member for Dobell Emma McBride