The federal government and the WA Government have partnered to invest over $112 million towards free TAFE and vocational education courses for the state’s local students.  

The free TAFE and vocational education courses are expected to cover 8500 positions in the care sector, 2400 in technology and digital, 1900 in agriculture and 1500 in construction. 

Thousands of West Australians across priority areas will be offered free education and training courses to address skills shortages in WA’s booming economy. 

Students enrolled in 58 full qualification courses and 56 short skills set courses will have their fees covered for the duration of their learning. 

“If you have got one of these technical skills, you are needed now across our labour market,” Education Minister Sue Ellery said to reporters. 

“It’s not just the resource industry.” 

Minister Ellery said the agreement would increase opportunities and workforce participation for priority groups including First Nations people, unpaid carers and people with disabilities. 

With competition for workers in the mining sector pushing up wages across other parts of the economy, it is expected that more West Australians would complete vocational education and training courses than university courses. 

“That’s the first time that’s happened,” Minister Ellery said. 

“You can get a high-paying job now if you have one of these technical qualifications, and people are grabbing that.” 

She added that the state government wanted high school students to be challenged regardless of which path they chose. 

“People are still going to university, they’re just getting there a different way,” she said. 

Federal Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said the deal between the federal and state government recognised the urgency of the skills crisis that the nation is currently facing.

“To provide greater opportunity for Western Australians to have secure and rewarding employment, we must be able to skill and reskill our workforce,” he said. 

With AAP 

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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