The ACT Government has signed up to the five-year National Skills Agreement, which Chief Minister Andrew Barr says will support a strong and skilled workforce for Canberra’s future.

The National Skills Agreement comes into effect from January. Under a deal struck at a national cabinet meeting on Monday, the Albanese government could spend $12.6 billion to increase the number of Australians trained in areas of high demand, including clean energy, the care sector, and digitisation.

The federal government announced in May that the NSA would provide states and territories with access to Commonwealth investment of $4.1 billion over five years from 2024. This would comprise Commonwealth investment of $3.7 billion, and $400 million to support another 300,000 TAFE and vocational education and training (VET) fee-free places.

“This landmark five-year agreement between the Commonwealth and all states and territories will deliver one of the biggest investments into building a more resilient and diverse workforce,” Mr Barr said.

“The Agreement will focus on lifting the national skill level and attracting more skilled workers into critical and emerging industries.

“It’s an extensive investment in Canberra, supporting our vision to grow our total workforce to 300,000 by 2030.”

Mr Barr set the target of 300,000 jobs in the ACT by 2030 in July. As of June, 265,000 people were employed in the ACT.

The agreement will fund several new initiatives in the ACT, including:

• More than $24 million in matched ACT-Commonwealth funding for TAFE Centres of Excellence, to help the ACT transition to a net zero economy;
• $6.5 million in matched funding for Closing the Gap initiatives to train First Nations Canberrans;
• $14 million in matched funding to improve VET and apprentice completion rates, particularly for First Nations students, women, and other vulnerable cohorts
• $13 million in matched funding so the Canberra Institute of Technology and other public training providers can enhance quality and capability in the VET workforce and sector;
• Close to $1.5 million to improve access to foundation skills and learning.

“The ACT Government will continue to support Fee Free TAFE at CIT, so priority cohorts such as young people, jobseekers, and women in non-traditional fields will have access to free training in areas of skills need,” Mr Barr said.

Fee Free TAFE provides tuition-free vocational education and training to ACT students wanting to train, retrain, or upskill. It offered more than 2,500 fee-free training places this year in nearly 70 qualifications. 

“We have committed to delivering thousands more Fee Free TAFE places over the coming years, with a specific focus on renewable energy, cyber security, the care sector, construction, hospitality, and foundation skills,” Mr Barr said.

“With more than 2500 Canberrans already taking up this opportunity for free training in 2023, the Government will continue this popular program to achieve better education outcomes and support local businesses with the skills they need to succeed.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the National Skills Agreement would mean more workers with the skills the economy needed.

“The National Skills Agreement is consistent with so much of what my government does – bringing people together from all over the country to address the common challenges faced by all of us,” he said. “We need to train Australians for the jobs of today as well as the jobs of tomorrow.”

Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said the TAFE sector had been underfunded for too long.

“A high performing and world-class VET sector is crucial for achieving a fairer society and a stronger economy,” he said.

With AAP