Apprenticeships and traineeships

Apprenticeship Support Officers

$5.9 million in 2022-23 and $6.1 million in 2023-24 is provided to continue contemporary, targeted support for Victorians to finish their training through the Apprenticeship Support Officer program. The program provides dedicated supports to learners most at risk of failing to complete their apprenticeship, including women (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 9 and 20).

Discounted registration fee for trade apprentices

The estimates of tax expenditures include $2 million in 2022-23, and $2 million in each year across the forward estimates, for the 'Discounted registration fee for trade apprentices' initiative (Budget paper no. 5: Statement of finances, p. 180).

Employment

Ageing Well in Victoria - Social recovery for older Victorians and carers

This budget measure includes funding to continue the Career Pathways into Employment for Unpaid Carers program to deliver tailored employment support for carers and create pathways into employment within the targeted disability, community services and aged care sectors (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 39 and 50).

Regional economic transition - Latrobe Valley Authority

$7.5 million in 2022-23 is provided to continue the Latrobe Valley Authority's (LVA) operations, support the management of economic transition, identify future opportunities through a transition plan and facilitate business concierge services specific to the Latrobe Valley. Funding is also provided for the Ladder Step Up program to provide employment support for young people in the Latrobe Valley and for delivery of the Inclusive Employment Program by the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council. This investment will mitigate the impacts of industry closures and ensure that communities and workers have the required skills and support to capture emerging opportunities in future growth sectors (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 73 and 83).

Standing with our health workforce - investing in our future health workforce

This budget measure includes funding to support the retention and growth of the Aboriginal health workforce to increase the accessibility of culturally safe services and fill essential workforce gaps. This includes additional cadetships, scholarships and traineeships for Aboriginal students and current workers in a range of health disciplines (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, p. 62).

Victorian African Communities Action Plan

$4.4 million is provided in 2022-23 to continue delivery of education and employment initiatives to improve social and economic outcomes for Victoria's African communities. This includes support for Homework Clubs and school community liaison officers to provide educational and social support to students and parents of African heritage, and an Employment Brokers program in community organisations to facilitate access to specialised and mainstream programs, training and pathways to employment for African communities (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 39 and 49).

Industry

Construction industry safety training

$2 million is allocated to provide grants to employer and employee organisations to support occupational health and safety and other training in the construction industry (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 104 and 106).

Improving Energy Safety and Skills

$300 000 in 2021-22 and $1.9 million each year for four years is provided for mandatory skills maintenance training to ensure continuing professional development and improved safety skills for electrical workers (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 26 and 29).

Supporting Victorian Manufacturing - Advanced manufacturing capability

This budget measure includes funding to assist advanced manufacturing businesses to transition to a highly skilled and low carbon environment by establishing a new Digital Jobs for Manufacturing stream of the Victorian Digital Jobs Program. The initiative will support 300 internships over two years to augment workforce supply and help address specific sector needs. Funding is also provided for the Victorian Defence Industry Workforce Development program to deliver an expansion of existing internship programs and provide defence-specific professional development training (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 72 and 80).

National Agreements

In 2022-23, the Australian Government will provide estimated funding of $530 million to support Victoria's skills and workforce development services through the National Skills and Workforce Development Specific Purpose Payment (SPP) and National Partnership and Project payments.

National Skills and Workforce Development Specific Purpose Payment

Funding from the Commonwealth Government under the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development is estimated at $413 million in 2022-23 (Budget paper no. 5: Statement of finances, p. 172).

National Partnership Payments

The total estimated National Partnership Payments for 2022-23 is $117 million from the JobTrainer Fund (Budget paper no. 5: Statement of finances, p. 172).

Regulation

Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is Victoria's education and training regulator. The VRQA registers education and training providers in vocational education and training (VET) that operate in Victoria only or Victoria and Western Australia only, school education, school and non-school senior secondary education and overseas secondary student exchange programs. It also registers children for home schooling in Victoria, accredits courses and registers qualifications, investigates complaints against the providers registered by the VRQA and regulates apprenticeships and traineeships in Victoria. The Strategy Review and Regulation output is allocated $110.9 million in 2022-23. This output plans, develops, and monitors strategic policy settings across all stages of learning. It also includes inter-governmental negotiations, research, data, and performance evaluations and supports regulation that ensures quality education and training is delivered (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, p. 141).

Training providers and programs

A coordinated and efficient TAFE system

Funding of $83.1 million over four years from 2021-22 ($39.5 million in 2022-23) is provided to strengthen the Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery within the Department of Education and Training, to lead strategic projects and enhance collaboration across the TAFE network. Funding will also support TAFEs to sustainably transition to the new funding model announced in late 2021, and deliver an expansion of the coordination of practical placements for TAFE students (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 9 and 20; Media release 3 May 2022).

Adding Auslan courses to the Free TAFE course list

$4 million ($1 million each year for four years) is allocated to expand Free TAFE to include the Diploma of Auslan and Advanced Diploma of Interpreting (Auslan) to help increase the number of Auslan interpreters (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 9 and 20).

Marrung - teaching Aboriginal languages

$2.9 million over four years ($700 000 in 2022-23) is provided to support the delivery of a Certificate IV in Teaching a First Nation's Language to help increase the number of Aboriginal language teachers in Victorian kindergartens and schools. This support builds on the Government's previous investment in existing Certificate II and III qualification levels to preserve endangered Aboriginal languages (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 3 and 5; Media release 3 May 2022).

Skills Solutions Partnerships

$200 000 is provided each year for two years in the Department of Education and Training, plus $7.1 million in 2022-23 and $2.5 million in 2023-24 within the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, for Skills Solutions Partnerships, a collaboration between the Victorian Government, industry, TAFEs and dual sector universities to pilot new training approaches that address skills shortages in priority areas, including short courses and work placements (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 9, 73 and 82).

TAFE inclusion

Funding of $400 000 each year for two years is provided to conduct an access audit of all TAFE campuses to identify improvements required across the TAFE network to ensure people with disability can access training and skills (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 9 and 20).

Training, Higher Education and Workforce Development

The Training, Higher Education and Workforce Development output of the Department of Education and Training supports Victorians to gain the skills and capabilities essential for success in employment and further training or study. The Department works with the TAFE and training sector to deliver quality training that strongly supports industry to meet the evolving needs of the economy, promotes equity and addresses disadvantage, with an emphasis on growth sectors of the economy. This output includes the functions of training system design, industry engagement, contracting and monitoring of quality and training services including accredited and pre-accredited vocational education and training through to adult community education. Funding for 2022-23 is estimated at $2 482.7 million (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, p. 158).

Excellence in vocational and applied learning

$87.9 million over four years ($18.5 million in 2022-23) is provided for professional learning programs and supported study pathways to support and expand the vocational and applied learning workforce, in particular the availability of suitably skilled and qualified VET teachers and trainers. This additional funding for jobs, skills and pathways coordination in government secondary schools will reduce the administrative and coordination burden on schools and build capacity for excellent programs, supported by an augmented model of regional support for vocational and applied learning (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 8 and 14).

Head Start apprenticeships and traineeships for all Victorian government school students

Funding of $69.3 million ($10.9 million in 2022-23) is provided to expand the Head Start school-based apprenticeships and traineeships model to all government secondary schools. This includes cluster directors, Head Start coordinators and learning leaders to support students and increase relationships with employers. The funding will also strengthen data capture, monitoring and compliance (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 8 and 15).

Improved vocational and applied learning pathways

$34 million is allocated over four years ($15.8 million in 2022-23) to support the introduction of the new Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), Vocational Major and Victorian Pathways Certificate in 2023, and to champion vocational and applied learning pathways. This includes professional learning for government school teachers to implement the new curriculum, support to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for assessment moderation and to create a student portal, and support for non-school senior secondary providers to transition to the new framework (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 8 and 15).

Universal access to high-quality VET for government school students

$86.1 million is provided over four years ($9.8 million in 2022-23) to support improved access to a core offering of Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Schools (VDSS) pathways and certificates. A revised funding model will reduce complexity and better reflect the cost of delivery. Local access planning will support place-based solutions and collaboration between cluster schools (Budget paper no. 3: Service delivery, pp. 9 and 19).