The Australian Education Union has warmly welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement of 180,000 fee free TAFE places, made during his Jobs and Skills Summit opening address.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also announced that $1.1 billion in funding for the new places will be shared by the states, territories and the Commonwealth.
These new places come on top of the 465,000 fee free TAFE places announced prior to the 2022 Federal Election.
"Australia is facing skills shortages across states and territories, and across industries. There is an urgent need for skilled workers to secure our economy now and into the long term," Federal President Correna Haythorpe said.
"In making this announcement at the start of his opening address, the Prime Minister has acknowledged the critical role TAFE plays in Australia's vocational education and training system and placed it at the heart of the national jobs and skills agenda.
"TAFE is the best place to ensure the workers we need gain the skills and knowledge required to fill workforce gaps.
"Across hundreds of campuses across Australia, TAFE provides high quality vocational education to thousands of students.
"With funding and investment, like that announced this morning, TAFE can continue to provide high quality vocational education to help Australia rebuild following the pandemic, address skills shortages in labour market and help ensure our future economic security."
