- Published:
- Friday 12 June 2015
Two innovative programs at Bendigo Kangan Institute will receive $5.38 million in Andrews Labor Government funding to get more than 2000 people skilled up for jobs in growing industries.
Minister for Training and Skills, Steve Herbert, announced the grants from the Labor Government’s $50 million TAFE Back to Work Fund while visiting the Institute’s Bendigo campus today with Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan and Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards.
The Government will provide $2.96 million to support training to meet the expected increase in demand for skilled health support workers when the New Bendigo Hospital opens in late 2016.
Another grant of $2.42 million will also support an expanded pre-apprenticeship program to help young people find work in the service divisions of automotive dealerships, where there is unmet demand for skilled workers in both Melbourne and central Victoria.
The Institute’s award-winning Next Steps careers guidance and counselling service for young people aged 15-24 will also be expanded to serve the Bendigo campus and Docklands Automotive Centre of Excellence.
The $50 million TAFE Back to Work Fund is in addition to the $350 million funding boost to the TAFE and training system, delivered in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget. The Andrews Labor Government is committed to saving our public TAFE institutes and making them financially sustainable.
Mr Herbert said the TAFE Back to Work Fund will support projects that allow TAFE institutes to provide training that leads to jobs and increased productivity through working with industry.
Training offered by these new initiatives will also support employers who plan to hire staff as part of the Government’s Back to Work Scheme, creating skilled workers who are job-ready in growing industries.
The Back to Work Scheme is providing financial assistance to businesses which hire eligible young people aged 15-24 who have been looking for work for three months or more, out-of-trade apprentices, retrenched workers or someone who has been looking for work for 12 months or more.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills, Steve Herbert
“These projects, supported by our $50 million TAFE Back to Work Fund, will see Government, the TAFE institute and industry working together to provide training that this region needs to support new jobs.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan
“The Andrews Labor Government is saving our TAFE system and I am so excited that Bendigo will get these new courses to skill-up local kids for jobs in growing industries.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards
“Our $5.38 million investment will support Bendigo Kangan Institute to provide more training that will lead to jobs, with a focus on the health care sector and automotive service and repair.”
About the successful Bendigo Kangan Institute initiatives:
New Jobs in the Health Sector, $2.96 million
This new Bendigo Kangan Initiative will support the opening of the new Bendigo Hospital in 2016. In order to meet the needs of the larger hospital, in non-clinical areas such as hospitality, facilities management and maintenance, there are new opportunities to deliver training that will support jobs, including the upskilling of existing staff who will transfer to the new site. This initiative will include identifying skills gaps and training needs, careers guidance and counselling for young people, updating course resources and delivering more training that supports the health care sector.
Projected outcomes by 2019: 20 new apprentice enrolments, 60 new traineeship enrolments, 1085 students in training and 515 people placed into jobs.
Real Jobs Pre-apprenticeship Program, $2.42 million
This project will help to address skills shortages in automotive dealers’ repair and service divisions in Melbourne and central Victoria. As part to this initiative, Bendigo Kangan Institute will partner with industry, build upon the institute’s partnership with Toyota, re-design curriculum to support some online training and expand the award-winning Next Steps service, which provides free career guidance and counselling to young people aged 15-24, to the Docklands Automotive Centre of Excellence and Bendigo TAFE.
Projected outcomes by 2019: 1069 new apprentice enrolments, 208 new traineeship enrolments, 341 people placed into jobs and 178 students undertaking further training.
Information about other TAFE Back to Work Fund projects is available at education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/tafenetwork.aspx