More students will get the skills and experience they need to get a job thanks to a funding boost from the Andrews Labor Government for construction training in Melbourne’s north-east.
Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney and Member for Monbulk James Merlino today visited Box Hill Institute’s Lilydale campus to announce $2.9 million in funding for two new projects which will develop and deliver core skills for aspiring construction workers.
A new diploma-level course, Off-site Construction Technologies, will put Victoria at the forefront of pre-fabricated timber construction technologies.
This new pilot project will help meet industry demand for project managers and tradespeople with skills in offsite construction using the latest manufactured products and methods.
The funding will also support the development of new accredited and non-accredited courses in Building Information Modelling. Courses are designed to train students to manage complex information across teams involving architects, building designers, engineers, contractors and specialist contractors, facilities managers and trades.
To make it easier to access training, the Government is investing $172 million to make 30 priority TAFE courses and 18 pre-apprenticeship courses that lead to jobs that are most in demand from Victorian employers tuition free.
The Victorian Budget 2018/19 is investing an additional $644 million to strengthen TAFE, address skills shortages and ensure all Victorians can access the training they need to get a good job.
The former Liberal Government decimated our TAFE system – cutting funding, sacking teachers and closing campuses. We’ve turned that around and we’re continuing to invest in TAFE to make it even bigger and better than before.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney
“We are proud to be investing in TAFE to deliver training for the skilled construction workers Victoria needs for to deliver our record investments in infrastructure.”
“The previous Liberal Government spent four years cutting TAFE and closing campuses – we’re rebuilding TAFE to provide industry relevant training that gets Victorians into jobs.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Monbulk James Merlino
“We want all Victorians to have access to the training they need to get a job – that’s why we’ve made record investments to put TAFE back at the heart of training in this state.”
“We reopened the Box Hill Lilydale campus after the previous Liberal government closed it down – now it’s back delivering the industry leading training this community deserves.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020