Minister for Regional Development, Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney announces the almost-$1 million in funding for electrical trades with South West TAFE CEO Mark Fidge. Photo: Gayle Tierney MP Facebook.
Regional workers moving to south-west Victoria will have an easier time finding accommodation following a recent funding announcement by the State Government of $150 million.
Accompanying the initiative to bring workers closer to their jobs is a significant investment into the region’s TAFE campus so it can provide a host of new training opportunities for aspiring electricians.
The contributions come as the country grapples with a housing and skills shortage crisis, which has been damaging to regional communities already suffering from the inflated cost of living.
Minister for Regional Development, Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney announced the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund last Friday at the Koroit Caravan Park. Through a $465,000 grant to its housing project, it has seen five new cabins built to provide affordable rental accommodation for workers in the region’s construction, agriculture, aged-care and health sectors.
Since opening in 2022, the caravan park has had a 95 per cent occupancy rate, allowing 11 different local businesses and corporations to bring in skilled workers for short-term projects.
“We know that a lack of housing and accommodation is one of the biggest barriers facing regional businesses and employers from recruiting the workers they need – that’s why we’re supporting solutions to boost supply,” Ms Tierney said.
Until 25 February, the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund is open to expressions of interest for grants between $150,000 and $5 million contributing towards shovel-ready projects.
Also included is another $1 billion investment by the government into the Regional Housing Fund as part of its $1.25 billion Big Housing Build initiative. It is set to deliver more than 1300 new blocks of social and affordable housing to communities across rural and regional Victoria.
On 20 January, Ms Tierney visited South West TAFE’s Warrnambool campus to declare the government’s new funding for its Certificate III Electrotechnology Electrician training course, in which more than 120 students are currently enrolled.
Almost $1 million will go to upgrading its electrical laboratories and workshops, along with the installation of its training simulators and specialist equipment. This will also enable the TAFE college to offer more opportunities for women seeking a career in electrical trades, a field in which 98 per cent of participants are men.
Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora said she was excited to see the upgraded facilities at South West TAFE, “which will allow more students to access training opportunities to pursue the career they want”.
Financing these projects is the State Government’s Regional and Specialist Training Fund, while its Free TAFE program has provided more than 80 qualifications and short courses at no cost to students.
Introduced in 2019, the initiative has allowed more than 156,500 students to save over $423 million in tuition fees so they can enrol in pre-apprenticeship courses such as electrotechnology.
