The Times Australia
Mirvac Harbourside
The Times News

.

Albanese offers more university places and free TAFE spots

  • Written by Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra



Anthony Albanese on Sunday will unveil a plan for a Labor government to deliver up to 20,000 extra university places over 2022-23 and fund 465,000 free TAFE places, including 45,000 new ones.

The $1.2 billion “Future Made in Australia Skills Plan” will be directed at giving support in areas of skills shortages.

In his second major policy announcement in two days – the climate plan was announced on Friday – Albanese is both targeting the hard-hit university sector and playing to his central campaign themes of creating jobs and addressing skills.

The university initiative will cost $481.7 million over the forward estimates.

Labor says the free TAFE places will focus on areas suffering critical skills gaps.

It says the policy would help rebuild industries hardest hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality and tourism as well as meet current and future demand in occupations such as child care, aged care, disability care, nursing and community services.

It would provide opportunities for school leavers, people wanting to retrain, and unpaid carers seeking to get back into the workforce.

A $50 million TAFE technology fund would improve IT facilities, workshops, laboratories and tele-health simulators, providing infrastructure for students’ needs.

The cost of the TAFE places is $621 million over the forward estimates, which includes the $50 million for capital works fund.

The package includes about $100 million already announced to support 10,000 New Energy Apprenticeships.

The university sector has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with tens of thousands of job losses. The closed border cut off the flow of international students – which were vital to many universities’ finances – and public universities were not included in JobKeeper.

Labor says that currently there are not enough university places, yet Australia faces shortages of doctors, engineers, teachers, pharmacists and IT experts.

Read more: View from The Hill: Albanese's 43% emissions reduction target by 2030 has some political cover[1]

It says this year the offer rate fell to its lowest level in years, and more than 50,000 applicants missed out.

Extra funding would be allocated to universities based on

  • their ability to offer more places in areas of national priority and skills shortages, such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, health and education

  • their efforts to target under-represented students – those who are the first in their family to go to university, Indigenous students, and people in regional, remote and outer-suburban areas

  • student demand.

Labor says Australia should be investing in opportunities for Australians to study and raise their skills rather than relying solely on migration to fill the skills gap.

It says one in four businesses are hit by critical skills shortages. Meanwhile nearly two million Australians are unemployed or under-employed.

Albanese will address a rally in western Sydney on Sunday.

Read more https://theconversation.com/albanese-offers-more-university-places-and-free-tafe-spots-173215

Mirvac Harbourside

Times Magazine

YepAI Joins Victoria's AI Trade Mission to Singapore for Big Data & AI World Asia 2025

YepAI, a Melbourne-based leader in enterprise artificial intelligence solutions, announced today...

Building a Strong Online Presence with Katoomba Web Design

Katoomba web design is more than just creating a website that looks good—it’s about building an onli...

September Sunset Polo

International Polo Tour To Bridge Historic Sport, Life-Changing Philanthropy, and Breath-Taking Beau...

5 Ways Microsoft Fabric Simplifies Your Data Analytics Workflow

In today's data-driven world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their data anal...

7 Questions to Ask Before You Sign IT Support Companies in Sydney

Choosing an IT partner can feel like buying an insurance policy you hope you never need. The right c...

Choosing the Right Legal Aid Lawyer in Sutherland Shire: Key Considerations

Legal aid services play an essential role in ensuring access to justice for all. For people in t...

The Times Features

Yellow Canary partners with global payroll audit leader Celery to bring pre-payroll review technology to Australia

Payroll compliance is becoming tougher for Australian employers. Underpayment cases continue to do...

Noticing These 5 Issues? Contact an Emergency Plumber Now

The invisible arteries running through homes, plumbing systems, streamline daily life discreetly...

The Perfect Champagne Day Pairing: Luke Nguyen’s Chargrilled Lemongrass Beef Skewers

Celebrate Champagne Day on October 24th with this delicious recipe and elegant pairing from Luke Ngu...

Bribing kids to eat vegetables might backfire. Here’s what to do instead

It’s a tactic many parents know well: “eat two bites of broccoli, and then you can have desser...

Common Wall Mounting Challenges and How Professionals Solve Them

It is not always as easy as it seems to mount artwork, shelves, or TVs, since some difficulties are ...

Understanding Centrelink Investment Property Valuation: A Guide for Australian Property Owners

Introduction Owning an investment property in Australia can bring financial stability — but it al...

The climate crisis is fuelling extreme fires across the planet

We’ve all seen the alarming images. Smoke belching from the thick forests[1] of the Amazon. Sp...

Applications open for Future Cotton Leaders Program 2026

Applications have opened for the 2026 intake for the Australia Future Cotton Leaders Program (AFCL...

Optimising is just perfectionism in disguise. Here’s why that’s a problem

If you regularly scroll health and wellness content online, you’ve no doubt heard of optimisin...