Steve Whan
Minister for Skills, TAFE, and Tertiary Education
MEDIA RELEASE
$300 million investment in TAFE NSW
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
Crumbling classrooms, leaking roofs, and 15-year-old Wi-Fi systems were the legacy of 12 years of deliberate neglect of our TAFE NSW campuses by the former coalition Government, and they'll be fixed by a new $300 million Labor program, now underway.
The NSW Labor Government know that to address the critical shortage of skilled workers we must have functional classrooms with modern equipment.
The NSW Labor Government is investing $300 million into TAFE NSW this financial year to upgrade classrooms and campus infrastructure, deliver new teaching equipment, and improve digital connectivity across regional and remote campuses.
This landmark financial injection into TAFE NSW will refurbish workshops and specialist facilities to train more electricians, metal fabricators, plumbers, and healthcare workers in communities like Wagga Wagga, Albury, Goulburn, Port Macquarie, Orange, and Armidale.
From welders at Wagga Wagga, to tractors at Wollongbar and Goulburn, and forklifts at Nirimba and Albury, the funding will deliver new equipment to support the continued deliver of industry-aligned training to learners.
In addition to maintenance work and new teaching equipment, the investment also provides more than $36 million over 8,500 new digital devices and directs funding into improved digital connectivity at 28 regional campuses across the state.
The investment in digital connectivity is a particularly major win for regional communities and will be used to overhaul outdated network infrastructure, improve Wi-Fi connectivity, and build cyber security resilience, which is critical for effective teaching and learning in the 21st century.
The funding will also ensure the completion of the redevelopment of TAFE NSW Kingscliff and the upgrade of TAFE NSW Coffs Harbour, ensuring a pipeline of more skilled workers in these booming regional communities.
Northern NSW can expect more demand for skilled healthcare, hospitality, and construction workers over the next three years. This investment ensures TAFE NSW is well-placed to meet the educational and employment needs of such communities.
This investment reflects the NSW Government's commitment to place TAFE NSW at the heart of the vocational and educational training system.
Minister for Skills, TAFE, and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:
"This critical $300 million investment will rebuild the physical and digital infrastructure at the 120 TAFE NSW campuses neglected for a decade by the previous Liberal-National Government.
"When I became Minister for TAFE, I was alarmed to get letters from students at TAFE colleges in country NSW telling me they were using their own phones to get internet connectivity on their campuses - because the Wi-Fi was so out of date.
"Stories about neglected classrooms don't help to attract the people we need to see taking on training or teaching. NSW Labor is doing something about it.
"In Wagga Wagga, this investment will mean $600,000 to deliver upgraded fabrication and welding facilities and equipment, ensuring apprentices working on major projects like Inland Railm or maintaining local bridges across the Riverina are set up for success.
"We'll also spend $500,000 to replace 164 digital devices, and $550,000 for a new Aboriginal Cultural safe space at Wagga Wagga TAFE.
"TAFE NSW offers learners a great experience, but we don't want it diminished by facilities that should have been maintained properly by the last government. And now it won't be.
"This investment adds to the NSW Labor Government's $3.8 billion investment in the skills and training sector, made together with the Commonwealth Government.
"Employers are relying on TAFE NSW to equip learners with in-demand skills using industry-standard equipment and technology, ensuring they graduate job-ready.
"This announcement will ensure the right skills mix to drive jobs, opportunity and productivity in NSW.
"The continued investment in TAFE NSW's infrastructure will expand learning opportunities in local communities, improve educational outcomes, and support the state's critical skill needs."
