5 years ago
$10 MILLION FOR INDIGENOUS YOUTH TO GET A TAFE QUALIFICATION
THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
A Shorten Labor Government will invest $10 million in the proven Poche Centre program at the University of Sydney, offering 1,300 scholarships to Indigenous students from remote and regional Australia to study at TAFE.
The program is designed so Indigenous students build careers where they live and are able to deliver services to their own communities.
The success of the program is based on providing intensive support and ensuring that courses are well adapted to individual and local industry needs.
Students are able to remain in their communities for the majority of the scholarship and undertake paid work experience with local employers.
About 400 students have so far graduated from the Poche Centre’s Project5000, which achieved a 96 per cent completion rate, three times the success rate for Indigenous TAFE students. Similarly, the employment success rate is 90 per cent.
The project will work with 20 communities across 1,000 jobs at a cost of $2.5 million per year.
Groups of students travel to TAFE to study intensively with the support of Poche Centre staff and TAFE teachers.
Labor’s investment will allow the Poche Centre to continue to offer health qualifications and to expand the program to 20 new communities and additional industries linking to the demand in local labour markets.
The Poche Centre estimates the overall savings to the economy is more than $27,000 for every job secured.
Expected industries and qualifications include:
- Aged Care (Health Service Assistant).
- Disability (Personal Care, Health Service Assistant, Allied Health Assistant).
- Community Health (Health Service Assistant, Nursing Assistant, Aboriginal Health Worker, Counselling, Dental Assistant).
A Shorten Labor Government will provide more than $1 billion in additional investment in TAFE, including:
- $50 million for 10,000 Pre-apprenticeship programs.
- $83 million to support 20,000 adult apprentices.
- $200 million Building TAFE for the Future Fund.
- $380 million for 100,000 TAFE places with no upfront fees.
- $334 million for 150,000 additional Apprentice Incentives.
Labor will also ensure one in every 10 jobs on major Commonwealth and defence projects are filled by an Australian apprentice.
This election is a choice between Labor’s plan for better assistance for TAFE and TAFE students, or bigger tax loopholes for the top end of town under the Liberals.
After six years of Liberal cuts and chaos, our united Labor team is ready.