The Rockliff Liberal Government will provide more subsidised training to Tasmanian job seekers and to help employers support their existing workers reskill, develop new skills or be successful in expanded roles within their workplaces.
The Building a Skilled Workforce program delivered through Skills Tasmania will support career transitions, upskilling and lifelong learning and improving the accessibility of training for Tasmanians facing disadvantage.
Minister for Skills and Workforce Growth, Felix Ellis, said the program was divided into two distinct streams, the Jobseeker Fund and Existing Worker Fund, and was open to endorsed registered training organisations to train learners across the State.
"By maintaining the two streams we can make sure that there is dedicated funding and training opportunities for people a varying stages of their careers," Minster Ellis said.
"Whether it is getting into work and a career for the first time, getting back into work after a break, expanding current job options or seeking a new career direction, this program aims to have suitable training available where people need it.
"The Jobseeker Fund will subsidise nationally recognised training, learner support and work placements for learners who are jobseekers or underemployed, or people looking to upskill or gain new skills outside of their current employment.
"The Existing Worker Fund provides grants for nationally recognised training in either skills sets or qualifications for existing workers, who can be in casual, part-time or full-time employment, to expand their skills and options.
"Importantly, we want learners to be at the centre of our training system so we are making sure that this program is accessible for regional learners and people that have faced challenges in accessing funding in the past.
"We have also consulted with training providers to make the funding process faster and easier so this money gets to where it will do the most good in much less time.
"The Building a Skilled Workforce program will deliver job and career opportunities for Tasmanians while providing our industries with the skilled workers they need to increase productivity and drive growth.
"Today's announcement comes on the same day as the latest national figures show that for the first quarter of this year there were 16,300 government-funded VET students in Tasmania, up by 5 per cent (780 students), on the same period in 2022.
"The figures also show an increase in popularity for short courses with enrolments in locally recognised skill sets in Tasmania were up almost 104 per cent on the same period in 2022," Minister Ellis said.
The grants are open to Skills Tasmania's endorsed registered training organisations with applications closing on Friday, 27 October 2023.
More details about the programs, including the grant program guidelines, can be found at www.skills.tas.gov.au/funding
