The Australian and West Australian governments are jointly investing $14.6 million to create the WA Defence TAFE Centre of Excellence (the Centre) across 4 of Western Australia's South Metropolitan TAFE campuses.
The Centre will have a focus on targeted activities and programs to improve completions for students in defence sector training and keep students engaged in training. The Centre will design and develop new advanced manufacturing skill sets to advance workers' knowledge in engineering and manufacturing preparing them for higher skilled roles in defence industries.
The Centre will also innovate defence training across maritime, air, land, space, and information and cyber domains, with an initial focus on maritime training. This will involve a full range of naval shipbuilding, sustainment and maintenance activities that will help support Australia's nuclear powered submarine capability requirements.
Key features of the Centre and defence training and completions initiatives will include:
- Extension of a Women in Defence Industry Scholarship Program beyond 2023-24, to be increased from 20 to 40 places per annum.
- Establishment of a Defence Industry Pathways Program School-based Traineeship providing year 11 school students with valuable exposure, skills, and experience for various career options in defence industries and a Certificate III in Defence Industry Pathways.
- Partnerships with universities to support agreements between sectors and scope higher-level apprenticeships that focus on innovative curriculum and learning resources and practices.
The Centre will also deliver better administrative practices including development of a Curriculum Advisory Group, Community of Practice, governance framework and related governance policies and procedures.
This is the tenth Centre of Excellence to be established under the NSA.
Background information
TAFE Centres of Excellence will increase collaboration between TAFEs, through partnerships with employers, unions, universities and other stakeholders. They will deliver the skills people need for good secure work and careers.
The Australian Government is investing $325 million under the five-year National Skills Agreement to establish a network of up to 20 TAFE Centres of Excellence. Each Centre of Excellence will focus on high skills needs to help deliver a skilled workforce for strategically important industries.
More information
- Visit the TAFE Centres of Excellence page
- Learn more about the National Skills Agreement