Friday 29 May 2009
Sunraysia Institute of TAFE is set to offer more programs to more students after the Member for the Northern Victoria Region, Candy Broad, today officially opened the leading regional vocational education and training (VET) provider’s new Robinvale campus.
Ms Broad said the new campus would significantly boost Sunraysia TAFE’s ability to promote economic growth across the region by strengthening the skills base of the local workforce.
“Sunraysia Institute of TAFE’s new Robinvale campus, with its modern and centrally located building, will enable the TAFE to play an even greater role delivering training that meets the region’s current and emerging skills needs,” Ms Broad said.
“And it will enable the TAFE to take the lead in providing training for workers across the Robinvale area who have been affected by the collapse of the Timbercorp Managed Investment Scheme.
“It’s too early to know the full ramifications of the Timbercorp situation, but I understand Sunraysia TAFE is planning to offer program in Production Horticulture and Transport and Logistics at Robinvale for former Timbercorp employees.”
Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Jacinta Allan said the new campus positioned the TAFE for the implementation of the first phase of the Brumby Government’s skills reform package Securing Jobs for Your Future – Skills for Victoria on July 1.
“The Brumby Labor Government is investing $316 million to create more than 170,000 additional VET places and deliver a more training system more responsive to the needs of industry and individual learners,” Ms Allan said.
“This new campus will enable Sunraysia TAFE to train more students in areas ranging from horticulture, conservation and land management to business and computing.”
Ms Allan said the Brumby Labor Government continued to invest to ensure Victoria had the best possible VET system for employers and workers, allocating an additional $120 million in skills in the 2009-10 State Budget.
Key skills initiatives in the 2009 State Budget included:
- $25 million to extend the Apprenticeship/Traineeship Completion Bonus program for another 12 months;
- $3 million to plan and design an Aviation Training Academy to be based at Melbourne Airport;
- $66.9 million towards a new student management system to commence a landmark upgrade of administrative systems across TAFEs; and
- $13.8 million for a new Skills to Transition program to support the securing of training places for up to 6400 Victorian workers who want to retrain or who are in industry transition.
Since 1999, the Brumby Government has invested an additional $1.55 billion in vocational education and training.