Socialist Paradise Victoria Is Giving Away A Heap of Free TAFE Courses
Yet another reason to love Victoria.
We’re less than a year out from an election in Victoria, and that means budget goodies: Premier Daniel Andrews and state Treasurer Tim Pallas have revealed a budget package that includes $800 million for TAFE and apprenticeships.
The policy zeroes in on skills and courses that are considered to be in high demand: 30 courses and 18 pre-apprenticeships packages will be offered for free under the policy, in an attempt to plug the state’s skills shortage.
These courses will be in a bunch of different areas, like agriculture, nursing, plumbing, engineering and… meat processing.
List of TAFE courses to be free under Andrews government budget announcement. #SpringSt @3AW693 pic.twitter.com/h8uSiRqr6l
— Lauren Hilbert (@laurenhilbert) May 1, 2018
Around 30,000 students will access the free courses.
$300 million of the package will be used to create new TAFE classrooms, and tens of thousands of new TAFE enrolments.
“We need to shed ourselves of this view that there is only one path to excellence in the workforce, an academic one,” Tim Pallas said.
“We have to recognise that there are people out there who have skills and aptitudes who should be appropriately rewarded, and the government needs to play a substantial part in skilling those capacities.”
Minister for training and skills Gayle Tierney echoed these thoughts.
“This is the biggest overhaul of TAFE, skills and training in Victoria’s history,” she said.
“It will make sure all Victorians can get the training they need for a good job, building our state.”
JUST ANNOUNCED:
From next year, all these major TAFE qualifications and apprenticeship pathways will cost you nothing to complete in Victoria. That's right. No course fees. Nothing. Free. #VicBudget pic.twitter.com/rNYfyvHtvQ
— Daniel Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) May 1, 2018
The announcement comes as part of the overall budget that was handed down today, which included $80 billion worth of infrastructure funding, a cut in tax for small businesses, and more funding for health and schooling.
Health in particular looks to be significantly changed by the budget: from the $700 million that will be pumped into mental health services, six emergency centres will be created and more rehab beds will be put into hospitals.
Overall, the government has said the budget will produce a surplus of $1.4 billion.