Victorian State Budget: What’s in it for the VET sector?

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The Victorian budget for 2021-22 is out. One focus is around funds to support the establishment of the Victorian Skills Authority proposed in the Macklin Review.

Access in the papers

This page on the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance site provides access to the Treasurer’s speech, an overview of the budget, the strategy and outlook and a range of other papers.

What’s in it for VET?

The Budget’s strategy and outlook paper points out that:

“TAFE and training is at the centre of the Government’s Jobs Plan, and this budget continues to invest to ensure that Victorians can access high quality, relevant training that gives them the skills we need for recovery. This includes investment of $89 million in additional training places to meet demand, $99 million in increased government contributions for subsidised training, and investment in system reform.”

And:

“Funding is also provided to improve access to pre-accredited digital literacy and employability skills training and to equip TAFEs with the tools they need to provide modern traineeships and apprenticeships.”

The Victorian Government’s budget overview says it is investing $86 million to establish the Victorian Skills Authority as “an anchor organisation, bringing together industry, providers and other stakeholders to identify priority training areas and develop an annual Victorian Skills Plan.” The Authority “will also support continuous improvement in the quality of teaching and training across the system.”

Funding will also be “provided to establish the Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery as a separate business unit in the Department of Education and Training by mid-2021. This office will lead public provider strategy and collaboration across TAFEs, ensuring the TAFE network remains well placed to respond to Government priorities.”

Free TAFE will also continue to support the training of 1900 mental health workers, and the Government is investing $209 million to further support the TAFE and training sector. The investment includes making up to 12 200 extra subsidised training places in the TAFE and training system, providing 4 800 additional places in digital literacy and employment skills courses to help get more Victorians back into work and increasing the funding provided to TAFEs and other registered training providers to maintain high‐quality training across Victoria.

Finally, $72 million will be provided from the Building Better TAFEs Fund … for upgrades at Bendigo Kangan Institute’s Broadmeadows Campus and GOTAFE’s Archer Street Shepparton Campus, and $12 million will be provided to establish the TAFE Equipment and Facilities Fund “to ensure … TAFEs have the modern tools and equipment they need to provide traineeships and apprenticeships.”

Victorian State Budget: What’s in it for the VET sector? | VDC