Under the Hodgman Liberal Government, Tasmania is heading in the right direction and we are building on the momentum to drive economic growth and create jobs.
A key part of our Plan is engaging with and investing in our Tasmanian workforce. The importance of investment in our workforce through training, skills and development, cannot be understated.
Today I spoke to attendees at the annual TCCI Skills and Workforce Development Conference, starting in Hobart this morning, about the Liberal Government’s investment in real skills for real jobs.
Skills development is a partnership between government, employers and employees. This partnership is targeting growing jobs and our economy. The State invests more than $100 million annually in training across Government, and the benefits are clear.
We are committed to supporting economic growth and prosperity in Tasmania through developing the skills of its people and supporting the strategic workforce development of its industries.
The number of Tasmanians undertaking skills training and subsequently gaining employment is a real positive. Skills Tasmania saw a 14% increase in the number of government funded VET students in 2014 over the previous year. The total number of students in 2014 was 33,735 and this level of engagement is a strong endorsement of our investment in training. Student Outcome Survey results in 2014 found that 78% of students were employed after training.
The Liberal Government is determined to continue to build on this momentum and create more skilled jobs for Tasmanians.