Real recovery from this pandemic will rely on supporting Victorians to train, retrain and find new opportunities.

The Andrews Labor Government will help more Victorians find their path to a job, with $1 billion to ensure Victoria has the training and skills system it needs as the state emerges from the global pandemic.

The Victorian Budget 2020/21 includes a huge investment to help Victorians who have lost their jobs, or who have been left in unstable work, retrain for jobs in high-demand sectors.

This includes $631.4 million for extra training places, ensuring Victorians can get the skills they need to secure a decent, stable job.

An investment of $155.4 million will increase access to TAFEs, Learn Locals, Registered Training Organisations and other training providers for those disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including women, young people, and Victorians from diverse backgrounds.

Together, these investments will create up to 80,000 new training places over four years, almost 60,000 of which will be in Free TAFE courses like health, and community and disability services.

The Building Better TAFEs Fund will receive $107.6 million, including $67.6 million for the second stage of the redevelopment of Chisholm Institute’s Frankston Campus and $40 million for the upgrade of Melbourne Polytechnic’s Collingwood Campus.

This investment will provide Frankston students with a new modern, cutting edge, multi-level learning facility, while the Collingwood campus will benefit from a rebuild of the campus to establish an education, industry and community precinct.

As we recover, some sectors of our economy will rebound more quickly than others. That’s why the Budget includes $74.8 million to ensure people get the skills they need for the jobs in demand.

This includes $57.4 million for the delivery of accredited skill sets –– that will support rapid training linked to jobs, and a $10 million investment in the clean economy workforce.

A Clean Economy Skills and Jobs Taskforce will be established to provide independent expert advice to Government on the sector’s skills needs and oversee the development of a Clean Energy Workforce Development Strategy – so that government investment in skills and training is targeted in the right areas.

This will be supported by a $6 million Clean Economy Workforce Capacity Building Fund, which will provide grants to build teaching capability, curriculum, learning resources and collaborative learning platforms.

The Budget also includes funding to embed skills and jobs in the procurement process for the North East Link and the new Footscray Hospital. The successful bidder for each project will be required to work with the Department of Education and Training and the Victorian TAFE network to establish a training delivery model that builds a pipeline of skilled Victorians working on these projects.

The Labor Government’s new $33.2 million Big Build Apprenticeship Model will see up to 1,500 apprentices and trainees a year work across Victoria’s major infrastructure projects while receiving the training they need to establish a rewarding and well-paid career.

School leavers and jobseekers looking to retrain will be able to register their interest from December and start their apprenticeship or traineeship from March next year.

Attracting more people into trades is critical to support Victoria’s recovery – that’s why the Budget sets aside $19.3 million for an apprenticeships growth strategy.

This includes $8 million for an apprenticeship innovation fund to explore new approaches to this highly valued training model, undertaken in partnership with industry and unions.

The fund will have a specific stream, with funding of $5 million, to support innovative projects that encourage more women into apprenticeships, including in the building and construction industry.

This Budget also provides $9.3 million for Apprenticeship Support Officers to work with apprentices and employers to ensure more apprentices, particularly those at-risk of dropping out, successfully complete their training.

In addition, the Government is providing $6 million to expand the pilot of higher apprenticeships and traineeships in the social service sector. This will create opportunities for 400 workers, without formal study but with years of experience, to channel their on-the-job expertise into a qualification.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney

“We’re giving Victorians the chance to get new skills and a new start – particularly those who have lost work through the pandemic.”

“We want to make sure nobody gets left behind, with 80,000 new training places to help Victorians get the skills they need to secure a decent, stable job.”