Supporting Australians in their skilling journey as we celebrate National Skills Week

As we celebrate National Skills Week, the Albanese Government’s historic investments in skills and education are helping to unlock life changing opportunities for Australians, while boosting our nation’s economic strength and competitiveness.

Across the country this week, events will be held that aim to inspire people to ‘explore all the options’ when deciding what and where they choose to study, including opportunities under Free TAFE to upskill in rapidly growing sectors including care, defence, construction and technology. 

Since the introduction of Free TAFE in 2023 around 170,000 courses have been completed, and there have been more than 650,000 enrolments.

In its first term, the Albanese Government locked in the benefits of the initiative, legislating permanent Free TAFE and ensuring 100,000 Free TAFE places are available each year from 2027.

The Government also committed to putting TAFE at the heart of Vocational Education and Training (VET) through the National Skills Agreement (NSA), a landmark $30 billion investment with the states and territories to strengthen and transform Australia’s VET system, ensuring access to high quality, responsive and accessible education and training.

Research shows that skilling up Australians has become even more important for productivity growth and economic prosperity, with data from Jobs and Skills Australia showing nine out of every ten jobs in the next decade will require tertiary education, and almost half of those (44 per cent) requiring a VET qualification.

Australians can find out more about the events happening during National Skills Week at the website.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“The Albanese Government is focused on investing in skills and training for the benefit of Australians, their communities, and critically for our nation’s productivity and prosperity. 

“We want more Australians to get the skills they want, for the jobs our country needs – there’s never been a better time to check out your local TAFE and explore your options.”

“This year’s theme for National Skills Week is ‘explore all options’. It’s a perfect time to encourage all Australians to learn new skills and pursue new opportunities.”