The Australian and New South Wales governments are jointly investing $56.2 million through the National Skills Agreement to establish the TAFE NSW – Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at TAFE NSW’s Tighes Hill campus in Newcastle.
The centre will operate across the TAFE NSW network as a skills leader in renewable manufacturing and the net zero economy.
The Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Andrew Giles MP, said, ‘This Centre of Excellence in Net Zero Manufacturing will strengthen the vocational education and training system by providing high-quality and responsive skills training in the clean manufacturing economy’.
The centre 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 a mobile training unit.
- 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 builds on existing partnerships between TAFE NSW, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the University of Newcastle, Jobs and Skills Councils, and industry to pilot qualification models that deliver a parity of status between VET and higher education.
An additional $5.3 million investment is being made to fast-track the creation of the centre through the Australian Government’s Turbocharging TAFE Centres of Excellence. This is to help meet the growing demand for net zero training support.
As we transition to a clean energy economy, it is vital we build the skills needed to support traditional mining, energy and manufacturing industries. This includes building more opportunities to increase the number of apprentices going into trades such as electrotechnology, engineering, manufacturing and mechatronics.
It is the seventh Centre of Excellence to be established under the Nationals Skills Agreement.
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
- Read the Minister’s media release