National Skills Week launch Canberra

Acknowledgements omitted

It is a great pleasure to be here today as part of the launch of National Skills Week for 2025.

It’s an opportunity to highlight how attractive a VET career pathway can be.

As I said in my speech to the National Press Club yesterday, over the next 10 years, nine out of 10 new jobs will require a post-secondary education.

Around half of those new jobs will require a VET qualification.

But VET provides more than opportunity for individuals.

It is the key to resolving acute skill shortages in critical sectors of our economy and is a critical lever to establishing a productive, strong and prosperous economy.

So this year’s theme, ‘explore all the options’, is a very appropriate one for our time.

When were elected in 2022, the Albanese Government faced the worst skill shortage in 50 years.

Meeting this challenge has, and remains, a high priority for our Government.

We made a commitment to transform the VET sector, restoring it to its rightful place alongside universities as a vital foundation to establishing rewarding and well-paid employment.

In 2023, my predecessor, Brendan O’Connor, with state and territory governments, signed the National Skills Agreement.

This landmark deal makes available up to $34 billion in combined investment to strengthen and transform the VET sector.

And it is a VET sector with TAFE at its heart.

This includes the establishment of 12 TAFE Centres of Excellence to provide the vital skills we need in critical parts of our economy.

We have, for example, established TAFE Centres of Excellence in areas including housing, defence, clean energy, automotive, electric vehicles, net zero manufacturing, and heavy industry – with more on the way.

At the core of our Government is a commitment to ensure that no Australian is held back and no Australian is left behind.

Research shows that a lack of foundation skills hampers a person’s ability to engage in education or successfully embark upon a career.

These include language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills – including skilling up in the use of AI across our workforce.

In December 2024, the Albanese Government with the states and territories finalised the National Foundation Skills Strategy 2025-2035.

It includes a shared vision that all adult learners in Australia are supported to access quality foundation skills training to participate confidently and fully in work, education and training, and the broader community.

Our Government is focused on extending the opportunities that VET provides to those who have traditionally been denied them – whether through cost, gender, location or family background.

Free TAFE delivers on this in spades.

The Albanese Government, in partnership with state and territory governments, is delivering $1.5 billion for Free TAFE and VET places across Australia.

Free TAFE is opening doors, including for a student I’ll call Emma – a 17 year old I met earlier this month while visiting Shellharbour TAFE in New South Wales.

Emma knew she wanted to pursue a career working with and supporting young people, but school just wasn’t the right fit for her.

Going to TAFE hadn’t crossed her mind until the careers counsellor at her school suggested it.

Emma’s loving it – being on campus, learning from teachers who’ve got real life experience in community support, and having the encouragement to pursue her dream.

From younger to older Australians, we know that the VET journey is one that is lifelong.

Consider that among the over 650,000 Free TAFE enrolments, over 84,000 have been from people between the ages of 45 and 54 and more than 40,000 are from people older than 55.

Building on this success, our Government has made Free TAFE a permanent feature through the Free TAFE Act, supporting at least 100,000 Free TAFE and VET places per year from 2027.

Under our Government, Free TAFE is here to stay – so that every Australian can have the opportunity to pursue new opportunities, and to get the skills they want for the jobs Australia needs.

The VET sector delivers life-changing benefits for individuals and is vital to Australia’s economic success.

We must continue to lift its profile to ensure everyone can embrace what it offers.

That’s work for me, and for all of us in this room to do together.

I look forward to the conversation we’re about to have, and the ongoing conversations we’ll continue to have.

Thank you.

ENDS