National Skills Week puts training options on the table

From jewellery making and fashion design to plumbing and motor mechanics – the spotlight is being shone on vocational education and training options across Queensland this week during National Skills Week from 27 August to 3 September.

Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman has officially launched National Skills Week at TAFE Queensland’s South Bank campus training restaurant 66 on Ernest.

“National Skills Week is a fantastic opportunity to spread the message to a wider audience that vocational education and training is increasingly relevant for career advancement,” Ms Fentiman said.

“The Palaszczuk Government has demonstrated how serious we are about VET through a range of initiatives and programs.

“Our $1 million Advancing Apprentices Fund is a collaboration with industry to promote the benefits of employing apprentices.

“We have just held a series of apprenticeship roundtables across the state to get feedback from industry, unions and employers to help shape the fund for industry-specific campaigns to encourage businesses to sign up more apprentices.

“And as further proof weare committed to VET in Queensland, in 2018-19 we are investing more than $770 million to support Queenslanders to get the training they need to get jobs.

“We have also launched a pilot program, the Skills and Thrills Careers Showcase, where more than 2500 students were entertained with a 40-minute film on the many VET journeys available to them.”

Ms Fentiman said that an allocation of $420 million over six years for the highly-successful Skilling Queenslanders for Work program had also already led to jobs for almost 17,300 people and another 4,157 have gone on to further training.

“And we’ve committed funding of up to $85 million for the next three years to modernise and upgrade six priority TAFE Queensland campuses throughout Queensland.

“We’re also leading the nation in new apprenticeship and traineeship commencements, with an increase in 2017 of 8.5 per cent to nearly 40,000.”

The Minister said there was a need to highlight the success stories of Queensland’s VET students to encourage more people and businesses to get involved.

“National Skills Week gives us that opportunity along with next week’s Queensland Training Awards State Final, which shines the spotlight on our top apprentices, trainees, training providers, VET students and teachers and employers,” Ms Fentiman said.

“We need to recognise the important role VET will play in skilling workers for future jobs.”

http://www.nationalskillsweek.com.au/

https://66onernest.com.au/

ENDS

30 August 2018

Media contact: Inga Williams 0439 949 719