Burdekin TAFE given funding to boost ECEC skills and jobs in COVID-19 recovery plan

Regional TAFE sites in Queensland will benefit from more than $1.17 million in construction projects to revitalise their facilities and ensure the state’s post COVID-19 workforce has access to world class training facilities.

The upgrades, announced yesterday by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, are part of the second stage of the Government’s Unite and Recover for Queensland Jobs plan.

“Our recovery plan for Queensland is all about creating jobs and investing in future proofing infrastructure so we have the skills for more jobs in more industries,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Burdekin TAFE will see a new $350,000 student-industry collaborative learning centre to support community services and early childhood education and training to ensure provision of high standard personal care services, a timely decision given new findings from the National Skills Commission, which identified early childhood education and care (ECEC) as one of the three occupations experiencing high demand. 

“Ensuring we have the skilled workforce Queensland needs for the jobs now and into the future will help our state continue to move on from the pandemic,” Ms Palaszczuk added. 

Upgrades will also take place at Bohle TAFE, in support of advancing technology, Bowen TAFE, to establish a student-industry collaborative learning centre, and Cannonvale TAFE, to support major tourism and community and health care training and high-end manufacturing activities.

Queensland Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman said one of the most important ways to help rebuild the economy is to support apprentices and boost skills and training by investing in world class infrastructure.

“We want to see more young Queenslanders take up an apprenticeship or traineeship,” she added, noting that the free apprenticeships for under 21s initiative has already supported more than 18,000 young Queenslanders to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship for free.

“This is a fantastic result and we are ahead of our goal of supporting 60,000 Queensland free apprentices by 2023.”

Further information about the TAFE infrastructure plans may be found here.