An addition TAFE campus will be built in Hume should Labor win the November state election, as part of a $170 million TAFE building blitz statewide.
On Monday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews promised to spend $65-80 million to deliver two TAFE campuses in Sunbury and Melton, highlighting the regions as two of the fastest-growing in Australia with huge demand for workers, despite having no local skills and training facilities.
“We’re doing what matters for Victorians – building and upgrading TAFE campuses in every corner of our state, making more courses free and supporting people to upskill or make a mid-career change to a great new job.”
The Building Better TAFE Fund includes a $50 million Clean Energy Fund, to train people to work in the renewable energy sector.
“To end reliance on coal and revive the [State Electricity Commission of Victoria]… we will make sure at least 6000 of those jobs are apprentices and trainees. And we’re getting our TAFEs ready to train them,” a Labor statement said.
As part of the announcement, Mr Andrews said a re-elected Labor government would remove eligibility criteria for free TAFE, so people with higher-level qualifications who want to return to study can do so for free.
