EAST GIPPSLAND SKILLS RECEIVE BRUMBY GOVERNMENT BOOST
East Gippsland industry and workers now have a dedicated skills headquarters after the Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation Jacinta Allan officially opened the East Gippsland Skills Store today.
(Media-Newswire.com) - East Gippsland industry and workers now have a dedicated skills headquarters after the Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation Jacinta Allan officially opened the East Gippsland Skills Store today.
The East Gippsland Skills Store – one of nine being established by the Brumby Government in regional Victoria and one of 13 statewide – will be based at the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE’s Sale campus, with a mobile service to also operate across the region.
“Since 1999, this Government has invested an additional $1.1 billion in skills development and training, delivering more opportunities to create jobs for Victorian families and communities,” Ms Allan said.
“The East Gippsland Skills Store is part of a four-year, $23 million Brumby Government initiative to encourage Victorians to undertake further education and training, recognise existing skills and help employers meet emerging skill needs.
“It will be managed by a TAFE institute with extensive experience and a thorough understanding of local skills issues across a broad and diverse geographical area.” Ms Allan said the Skills Stores initiative is intended to take the message of retraining – and especially the importance of recognising prior learning – directly to Victorians.
“People can walk in off the street into a Skills Store and get free expert advice about their current skills, future skill development options and training they need to turn their skills into qualifications,” she said.
“Skills Store consultants can then provide a personal referral to a TAFE institution or other registered training organisation to have those skills formally assessed so they can be recognised without having to repeat training unnecessarily.
“It will reduce the cost of gaining a new qualification, free up places in TAFE and registered training organisations and make our training system even more efficient by dramatically reducing the time it will take to increase qualification levels and start a new career.”
The Skills Stores will also help businesses identify training needs and solutions for their workforce and assist school career advisers.
Skills Store clients qualify for grants of $250 to assist with the cost of formal recognition of skills at a TAFE or other registered training organisation.
“Like the rest of Australia, Victoria’s economy faces two major skill challenges – the continuing shift towards higher-value-added production, requiring higher levels of skills, and the ageing population,” Ms Allan said.
“By encouraging older Victorians to upgrade their skills and re-enter the workforce, Skill Stores will help address both these challenges.”
Release Date
This story was released on 2008-03-20. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.
