TAFE Centres of Excellence at TAFE Queensland
As a leader in VET, TAFE Queensland is spearheading three national TAFE Centres of Excellence to strengthen Australia's workforce.
TAFE Queensland is advancing skills development in high priority industries, chosen to lead the TAFE Centre of Excellence Clean Energy Batteries, TAFE Centre of Excellence Construction Tech and TAFE Centre of Excellence Health Care and Support, a joint initiative between the Australian and Queensland Governments.
The Centres are collaborating with various national clean energy, construction and health partners to develop innovative and industry-relevant vocational education and training (VET) opportunities to produce a pipeline of skilled workers.
The $20 million TAFE Centre of Excellence Clean Energy Batteries is delivering targeted training solutions, including higher-level pathways, to meet current and emerging skill needs in renewable energy storage, grid connectivity, network embedded storage at large and small scales, and electric vehicles.
Australia is advancing towards a renewable energy future with the battery industry alone providing $16.9 billion per annum in value-add and supporting 61,400 national jobs by 2030, creating strong prospects for workers seeking job security.
The $73.8 million TAFE Centre of Excellence Construction Tech is driving innovation in VET to help meet state and national housing and infrastructure needs, with a strong focus on supporting small to medium enterprises and accelerating the adoption of construction technology and modern methods of construction to address critical workforce gap.
Working closely with industry, the Centre also prioritises recognition of prior learning, enhances pathways into construction careers, and strengthens integration between VET and higher education to improve student and workforce outcomes, with Australia's construction workforce projected to grow to 925,200 workers by May 2035.
The $35 million TAFE Centre of Excellence Health Care and Support is addressing workforce and skills training across the health, nursing and community services sectors, with a particular focus on aged care, allied health, disability support and mental health.
Health care and social assistance is Australia’s largest employing industry, emplpying more than 2,400,000 people, and this Centre is tackling national workforce challenges by improving rural, regional and remote training delivery, closing skills gaps among current workers, meeting place-based workforce demands, and ensuring training is industry relevant and culturally appropriate.
The TAFE Centres of Excellence emphasise a national perspective on training and skills development, fostering increased collaboration and partnerships between TAFEs, industries, employers, unions, universities and other stakeholders across Australia.
Through the National Skills Agreement, the Australian Government is investing up to $325 million over five years, with matched funding from states and territories, to establish nationally networked TAFE Centres of Excellence.