Thousands more Victorians will have access to free TAFE training in a bid to tackle the construction industry’s skilled labour shortages
The Victorian government has announced 5,200 fee-free TAFE places in construction and housing sector courses, to help tackle skilled labour shortages.
Starting from January 2025, this initiative will include up to 1,300 pre-apprenticeship places and will give thousands of Victorians access to free training for a career in construction.
“Free TAFE has opened doors to new training and career pathways for nearly 190,000 Victorians since 2019,” Victorian minister for skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney says.
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“This includes 33,300 students in construction courses, saving aspiring tradies over $71 million in tuition fees and preparing them for jobs in the high-demand construction industry.”
$22.2 million will be contributed by the federal government, which has partnered with the state leadership.
Since January 2023, Victoria has seen over 91,200 enrolments in fee-free TAFE courses, with more than 11,400 coming from construction sector courses.
On a nation-wide scale, there have been more than 508,000 fee-free TAFE enrolments since its launch, with 35,000 enrolments in construction places.