Fee-free TAFE and VET places for South Australians – Ai Group comment

Industry has welcomed the announcement today by the Federal and South Australian governments of a 12-month Skills Agreement to address the current skills shortage and deliver Fee-Free TAFE and more vocational education places for South Australians.

The agreement comes at a critical time, with trades and technicians identified as one of the major gaps for businesses in South Australia in a national Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) survey released this week.

"When it comes to the answers, all roads lead to education and training – skilling, re-skilling and upskilling – at scale,” Ai Group SA State Head Jodie van Deventer said today.

"We need to start rebuilding our workforce at home as a matter of urgency. It is a huge national challenge and these extra 12,500 fee-free VET courses will help build the ongoing pipeline of workers that businesses require.