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Budget 2021-22
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Delivering skills and training to secure Tasmania’s future

26 August 2021

Sarah Courtney MP

Minister for Skills, Training and Workforce Growth

Now more than ever it is vital that we secure Tasmania’s future, which is why the Tasmanian Liberal Government is investing in the skills and training our industries need.

The 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget includes more than $135 million of new investment to create a workforce which will drive our economy forward across a range of skills, training and workforce growth initiatives.

The centrepiece of this investment is our fully funded $98.6 million four year plan for TasTAFE which will ensure we build a future-focussed TasTAFE, including:

  • $37.6 million to deliver 100 extra TasTAFE teachers;
  • $10 million for the TasTAFE virtual campus, increasing access for regional students;
  • $2 million for Skill Up!, which provides free short courses to support job readiness;
  • $4 million to increase TasTAFE access for rural and remote students with Libraries Tasmania; and
  • $45 million for TasTAFE facility upgrades and Transition Fund to new TasTAFE model.

This Budget also fully funds the $20.5 million Working Tasmania package, which includes:

  • $6.5 million over two years for the new Tasmanian Employer Bonus Fund, which provides up to $6,500 to help eligible employers take on long-term job seekers;
  • $3.2 million to expand our Area Connect Service to give more Tasmanians in regional areas access to low cost or free transport to get to work, training or education;
  • $2 million for the Job Ready Fund which is helping eligible job seekers meet the costs of essential licences, working with vulnerable people checks, or equipment necessary for a new job;
  • $2.4 million to expand our successful Job Matching Service to place more jobseekers in local vacancies and support employers to get the staff they need;
  • $1 million investment to extend TasTAFE’s successful Skill Up initiative which is providing fee-free training for those hardest hit by COVID in key areas such as health, ICT and business, and tourism and hospitality;
  • $850,000 for the Youth Navigators project to support year 12 leavers, impacted by COVID restrictions, to get the extra triage services they need to navigate further education, training or employment opportunities;
  • $400,000 to establish a Workers Connect Portal, providing Tasmanian business and jobseekers with authoritative information about local jobs, programs and the support services available; and
  • $200,000 to deliver Regional Jobs Shows and events to showcase local employment and industry opportunities in partnership with regional jobs hubs and community groups.

Our $13.8 million plan for Delivering Local Jobs for Local People, which consolidates our long-term Plan to support more than 2,000 Tasmanians into jobs through Jobs Hubs in regional areas across the State, is also being made possible through this Budget, including;

  • $10.6 million to create new local Jobs Hubs in Burnie, Brighton, Huonville and St Helens and to expand coverage of the Northern Employment and Business Hub, taking the total to seven Jobs Hubs providing State-wide coverage;
  • $1.3 million for the Youth Connectors pilot program to operate in conjunction with existing Hubs in Sorell, Glenorchy and George Town to specifically support young people seeking jobs and training in their local area;
  • $1.5 million for a Jobs Tasmania Hub Partnership Fund to support engagement between the Hub network and the NGO sector;
  • $190,000 to support migrant and multicultural employment programs delivered through the Migrant Resource Centres in the north and south; and
  • $170,000 to support the Devonport Fit for Work project.

The Budget also provides $3.1 million to partner with TasCOSS on a project to ensure the emerging workforce has the right skills to deliver quality support for Tasmanians, including a workforce-ready team and development fund, and $1.5 million to support the expansion of the Sorell Trade Training Centre.

These new investments are in addition to our investment in the High Vis Army, funding to support the training for the racing industry, and almost $30 million allocated in this Budget to continue COVID-19 Response and Recovery measures, including the rapid response skills initiative, JobTrainer support, as well as apprentice and trainee grants.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is delivering our strong plan to secure Tasmania’s future through the 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget, providing the opportunity for Tasmanians to get the training they need to gain a job.