The Andrews Labor Government will support thousands of automotive supply chain workers in South-East Melbourne who will be impacted by the demise of car manufacturing in Australia.
Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert joined Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams and Member for Frankston Paul Edbrooke at Chisholm’s Dandenong campus to outline a multimillion dollar package for a South East Automotive Industry Transition Package (SEAT).
The $8.4 million SEAT package is part of an overall Automotive Industry Transition Plan worth $46.5 million announced by the Premier this morning. The plan will help automotive businesses transition into new markets and workers to retrain and find sustainable jobs.
The package will include $4 million for a joint project between Chisholm and Holmesglen Institutes to up-skill and re-skill retrenched automotive supply chain workers, engage workers with industry, support businesses to restructure into new opportunities and to help retrenched workers find a job.
Workers will be able to access help to transition into new employment sooner, reducing the risk of long term unemployment. It will also strengthen collaboration between TAFEs, industry and the community.
$2 million will be used to establish two Skills and Jobs Centres which will allow Chisholm and Holmesglen to work directly with local employers and industry to help prospective students find a job or to move into further training.
The remaining $2 million will be used to fund Group Training Organisations (GTOs) to employ approximately 250 retrenched mature aged automotive supply chain workers as apprentices and trainees.
GTOs will receive $10,000 per apprentice they take on and $6,000 per trainee over the age of 40 years old. The average age of workers facing retrenchment from Victorian automotive suppliers is between 40 and 50 years.
The Minister also announced $1.63 million for Chisholm Institute to help bolster training levels in response to the Half Yearly Training Market Report.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert
“With the decline in automotive manufacturing in the South East it is crucial we support TAFEs and other training organisations to retrain workers so they don’t become a statistic.
Quotes attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams
“The Andrews Labor Government is committed to supporting Dandenong locals who will be impacted by the demise of the automotive industry.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Frankston Paul Edbrooke
“We are supporting our TAFEs to make sure they can train our future workforce and retrain those workers who want to move into new and emerging industries.”
Reviewed 10 February 2021