The Federal Government will invest $2 billion to help job seekers and school leavers learn new skills in transport, warehousing, manufacturing and retail industries.
The Morrison Government will invest $2 billion to give hundreds of thousands of Australians access to new skills by retraining and upskilling them into sectors with job opportunities, as the economy recovers from COVID-19.
The new $1 billion JobTrainer program will provide up to an additional 340,700 training places to help school leavers and job seekers access short and long courses to develop new skills in growth sectors and create a pathway to more qualifications.
The new $1 billion JobTrainer program will provide up to an additional 340,700 training places to help school leavers and job seekers access short and long courses to develop new skills in growth sectors and create a pathway to more qualifications.
The courses are expected to be in fields such as health, social assistance, transport, warehousing, manufacturing and retail, although this is also subject to state governments.
Ben Maguire, Australian Trucking Association (ATA) CEO said its members are very keen to see more support for new starters entering the industry, whether as truck drivers or heavy vehicle mechanics.
“The JobTrainer package will provide a much-needed boost for those considering a career in our industry,” he said.
The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has welcomed the federal funding, as the transport industry has been experiencing a skills shortage for many years due to an aging workforce and young workers seeking jobs in other professions.
“Transport is a highly-skilled profession and the establishment of training programs that offer the essential skills demanded by freight and logistics operators is an important part of positioning transport work as being much more than just a job,” VTA CEO Peter Anderson said.
Peter said JobTrainer is a perfect fit for the transport sector because it targets young people and school leavers the VTA has been working trying to attract to lifelong careers as professional transport workers.
“As an Association we will continue to develop programs to appeal to young people and are looking for support from our members and the broader transport industry to put young, capable and qualified people to work in transport,” he said.
Paul Zahra, ARA CEO said retail is Australia’s largest private employer, and many Australians get their first job in retail.
“The retail industry needs skills to fill critical roles in modern retailing, and we hope this will ensure retailers with urgent training needs can find talent in a simpler, more cost-effective way,” he said.
Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business said the National Skills Commission would play a critical role in identifying current and future skills needed in a challenging and changing labour market.
“We will work with States and Territories to develop a list of qualifications and skill sets that will provide job seekers with the skills that are in demand by employers and are critical to the economic recovery,” she said.
States and territories need to sign up to a new Heads of Agreement to access JobTrainer funding, with the agreement setting out immediate reforms to improve the vocational education and training sector, and providing the foundation for long term improvements as outlined by the Prime Minister in his recent speech to the National Press Club.