Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) (19:03:21) — (14 400) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Training and Skills. The action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on how Yuroke residents will be able to benefit from the free TAFE priority courses included in the recent Victorian budget. I have been overwhelmed by the positive response from local residents eager to access these courses, which is no surprise given how important vocational education is to my community.

According to 2016 census data, for a quarter of Yuroke residents their highest qualification is a certificate III, IV, diploma or advanced diploma. This fantastic initiative will allow young people to get a great start in their careers and those already in the workforce to upskill or reskill to improve their career prospects. It stands in stark contrast to the previous Liberal government’s record of trashing our TAFE system. I am proud of the work this government has done to save TAFE, and I look forward to sharing the minister’s response with Yuroke residents.

Response:

I am informed as follows:

Free TAFE for Priority Courses will give more Victorians the chance to study at TAFE. It will reduce the financial barrier for new students wanting to train in courses that lead to the occupations that are needed most by employers in the Victorian economy. The investment of $172 million will make 30 priority TAFE courses and 18 pre-apprenticeship courses in these growth industries tuition fee-free.

Courses included in this initiative will be offered at TAFEs across Victoria, with different courses in different areas according to the need of local communities, industry and students. Students will be able to commence one of the tuition-free courses in 2019. Whilst students have the opportunity to attend the many TAFE campuses across the State. The closest TAFE campus to the Yuroke electorate is Bendigo Kangan Institute’s Broadmeadows campus. At this stage 35 of the 38 courses currently on the list will be offered at the Broadmeadows campus in 2019. These courses include:

Certificate III in Horticulture
Certificate III in Education
Certificate III in Health Community Services
Certificate III in Individual Support
Certificate IV in Community Services
Certificate IV in Disability
Diploma of Community Services
Certificate III in Concreting
Certificate III in Construction Waterproofing
Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building)
Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services
Diploma of Building and Construction (Building)
Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping
Diploma of Accounting
Advanced Diploma of Accounting
Certificate III in Dental Assisting
Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance
Certificate IV in Dental Assisting
Diploma of Nursing
Certificate IV in Engineering
Certificate III in Agriculture
Certificate III in Security Operations
Certificate III in Tourism
Certificate III in Catering Operations
Certificate III in Warehousing Operations
Certificate II in Engineering Studies
Certificate II in Plumbing (Pre-apprenticeship)
Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation
Certificate II in Horticulture
Certificate II in Construction Pathways
Certificate II in Automotive Servicing Technology
Certificate II in Automotive Body Repair Technology
Certificate II in Automotive Air Conditioning Technology
Certificate II in Electrotechnology Studies (Pre-vocational)
Certificate II in Retail Baking Assistance.

An additional 10 priority courses will be selected following consultation with industry.

Furthermore, the Government is investing an additional $304 million for extra training to meet industry demand for trained graduates. This investment will fund TAFEs, Learn Locals and private training organisations to deliver more than 30,000 additional enrolments in the courses our economy and community need most.

The Hon Gayle Tierney MP
Minister for Training and Skills