The Greens welcome the State and Federal Government’s commitment to constructing a $27m Clean Energy Centre of Excellence. This is one of several future industries training initiatives the Greens have been putting forward for some time.
We must ensure all levels of government are presenting pathways to secure a future industry ready workforce, so Tasmanian projects will directly result in Tasmanian jobs.
Now the Clean Energy Centre of Excellence is announced, both the State and Federal Governments must turn their attention to establishing an Automotive Centre of Excellence with TAFE Tasmania.
An Automotive Centre of Excellence is an urgent necessity. Mechanics and workshop owners need accessible upskilling opportunities to meet the rapidly growth of electric vehicle use, and to ensure all internal combustion vehicles still on our roads are maintained at the appropriate emissions standards. Given destructive flooding has forced the closure of the aged Campbell Street training facility, now is the perfect time to progress a state-of-the-art Automotive Centre of Excellence.
Leveling up our training facilities is crucial, and as this occurs the government must do more to ensure training is equitably accessible to all.
The statistics on fee free TAFE showing over 6000 Tasmanians enrolled under the scheme, with over half being women, is a tremendous step in the right direction. However, while covering the tuition fee is some assistance there remain other costs which can be a barrier to enrolment or course completion. There’s also numerous courses that still require fees to be paid in order to participate.
We are calling on the government to make TAFE free, full stop. This is a crucial step to make sure we have a future ready workforce, and to allow Tasmanians to pursue training without financial barriers.
