Sarah Courtney,Minister for Skills, Training and Workforce Growth
The 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget will include more than $135 million for skills and training, with the centrepiece being a $98.6 million four year plan to evolve TasTAFE.
It is vital that we invest in skills and training to create a workforce which will drive our economy forward and deliver jobs for Tasmanians.
The upcoming Budget will deliver a fully funded $98.6 million four year plan for TasTAFE to create a modernised, future-focused public training provider.
This four year plan will include;
*$37.6 million to deliver 100 extra TasTAFE teachers;
*$10 million for the TasTAFE virtual campus, increasing access for regional students;
*$2 million for Skill Up!, which provides free short courses to support job readiness;
*$4 million to increase TasTAFE access for rural and remote students with Libraries Tasmania; and
*$45 million for TasTAFE facility upgrades and Transition Fund to new TasTAFE model.
TasTAFE provides training for around 20,000 learners every year, so our reforms and investments are all about making sure TasTAFE can continue to deliver the training our community needs to grow the workforce of the future.
In addition to the significant investment in TasTAFE, $20.5 million will be spent on delivering our Working Tasmania package, which is targeted at supporting employers take on job seekers and removing barriers for those looking for work.
$13.8 million will go towards delivering Local Jobs for Local People package, which consolidates our long-term Plan to support more than 2,000 Tasmanians into jobs through Jobs Hubs in regional areas across the State.
The upcoming State Budget will deliver on our strong plan to ensure Tasmanians get the training they need to gain a job, delivering on our promises made to the Tasmanian people at the 2021 State Election.
In addition, the TasTAFE Implementation Plan has been released today outlining the actions we will take to deliver a more future-focused TasTAFE.
The Plan lays out a clear pathway to transition to a Government Business model, which will ensure that TasTAFE can offer training on a timetable and in a manner that better suits learners and businesses.
We have an ambitious plan of enacting legislation to establish the new model for TasTAFE by the end of 2021, with the intention for TasTAFE to transition to this model in July 2022.
Consultation and ongoing engagement with industry, learners and employers will continue to ensure TasTAFE is best suited to Tasmania's needs now and into the future.
The Implementation Plan can be found at: https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/tastafe_transition
