Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee and Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell are calling on employers to take on more trainees following the launch of a new $54.3 million NSW Government Budget initiative to make government-subsidised traineeships fee-free.
Traineeships, through the NSW Smart and Skilled vocational education and training (VET) system, will join apprenticeships in being fee free from 1 January 2020.
Mr Lee said the NSW Government would be picking up the tab for the fees on all new traineeships, including school-based traineeships.
In announcing the initiative at Friendly Faces Childcare in Padstow, Mr Lee and Ms Mitchell congratulated the centre on its enviable reputation for training early childhood workers.
“We hope they’ll continue their great work and take on many more trainees after this announcement,” Mr Lee said.
“Our investment in fee free traineeships, coupled with the $285 million initiative that’s made apprenticeships fee-free, demonstrates that we are serious about getting people into sustainable work and addressing the skills shortage,” Mr Lee said.
Ms Mitchell said a skilled workforce is one of the most important factors in delivering high quality early childhood education.
“This announcement of the NSW Government’s investment to fund the student fees for Smart and Skilled eligible trainees is an important step in ensuring a skilled workforce to deliver high quality early childhood education and care” Ms Mitchell said.
“It’s encouraging that the most popular traineeships are in early childhood education with over 10,000 students since 2015 taking up a traineeship” Ms Mitchell said.
Traineeships, through the NSW Smart and Skilled vocational education and training (VET) system, will join apprenticeships in being fee free from 1 January 2020.
Mr Lee said the NSW Government would be picking up the tab for the fees on all new traineeships, including school-based traineeships.
In announcing the initiative at Friendly Faces Childcare in Padstow, Mr Lee and Ms Mitchell congratulated the centre on its enviable reputation for training early childhood workers.
“We hope they’ll continue their great work and take on many more trainees after this announcement,” Mr Lee said.
“Our investment in fee free traineeships, coupled with the $285 million initiative that’s made apprenticeships fee-free, demonstrates that we are serious about getting people into sustainable work and addressing the skills shortage,” Mr Lee said.
Ms Mitchell said a skilled workforce is one of the most important factors in delivering high quality early childhood education.
“This announcement of the NSW Government’s investment to fund the student fees for Smart and Skilled eligible trainees is an important step in ensuring a skilled workforce to deliver high quality early childhood education and care” Ms Mitchell said.
“It’s encouraging that the most popular traineeships are in early childhood education with over 10,000 students since 2015 taking up a traineeship” Ms Mitchell said.