New South Wales is championing the nation's skills-led recovery, with more than half of all JobTrainer enrolments coming from the State since the scheme was first introduced in October last year.
Around 115,000 Australians have already taken up the free training with more than 60,000 coming from NSW. The milestone comes as the Morrison Government announced an additional $500 million to extend the scheme as part of the 2021-22 Budget, contingent on matched funding from the states and territories.
Health, community services, building, construction, and business administration have had the highest uptake in NSW, with more than 93 per cent of people who completed a course getting a job, progressing their career or upskilling.
Federal Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert, said the JobTrainer Fund has supported thousands of people without work during the pandemic.
'The early success of the JobTrainer Fund means we can continue to prioritise Australians wanting to reskill and upskill,' Minister Robert said.
'The extension will offer around 163,000 additional national training places in areas of identified skills need, with 33,000 places prioritised to support the aged care workforce. Any existing aged care worker would be eligible for training through JobTrainer, as well as anyone looking to enter the aged care sector.'
NSW Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, Geoff Lee, said strong enrolment figures showed how crucial reskilling and upskilling was so the people of NSW could land on their feet after the COVID-19 pandemic.
'By investing in a skills-led recovery, the NSW Government is not only future-proofing jobs but ensuring people have the right skills to plug current shortages,' Mr Lee said.
'We've already seen this in action through JobTrainer, where industries experiencing major skills shortages like construction and health, are the most popular course choices, which is great news for both jobseekers and industry.'
