Both the Albanese Government and Minns Labor Governments are investing $28.1 million, with a further $5.27 million in federal funding to support the centre. This will accelerate the development of a Higher Apprenticeship model focused on the advanced skills required for net zero manufacturing.

The upgraded Centre will play a pivotal role in building up new skills for workers across the Hunter, investing in their future.

 

This will enable access to jobs in the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, and delivering the skilled workforce required to support the renewable energy sector.

 

The Centre of Excellence will:

• grow the workforce to support the renewable energy industry through technology-integrated learning, increasing access to training in regional and remote areas of northern NSW via mobile training units

• establish a National Renewable Energy Microskills Marketplace, enabling TAFEs across Australia to share and access renewable industry-related digital non-accredited courses

• implement a higher apprenticeship model, integrating vocational education and training (VET) and higher education by combining critical trade skills like electrotechnology, welding, and fabrication, with higher-level units in emerging areas such as digital technologies.

The Centre will also build on partnerships between TAFE NSW, universities and local industry to pilot qualification models that deliver a parity of status between VET and higher education.

 

This follows the September announcement of the Western Sydney Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence and is the second of three TAFE NSW Manufacturing Centres of Excellence, boosting skills training in advanced manufacturing and rebuilding onshore manufacturing capabilities.

 

Increasing the number of apprentices – particularly in trades such as electrotechnology, engineering, manufacturing and mechatronics – is vital to ensure NSW and Australia have the skills to transition mining, energy and manufacturing industries to a clean energy economy.

 

This will help it meet the demand for net zero training to support decarbonising mining and manufacturing sectors as Australia transitions to net zero by 2050.

 

The Centre will also support both Government’s commitment to rebuilding the local manufacturing capacity, including delivering the skilled workforce required to build and maintain the NSW Tangara fleet locally.

 

The Albanese Government is investing $325 million under the five-year National Skills Agreement, which began on 1 January, to establish a network of up to 20 TAFE Centres of Excellence in areas of high skills needs.

 

These centres will help deliver a skilled workforce for strategically important industries to meet national challenges.