100,000 free TAFE and VET courses will be made available across the next four years, in addition to the new $80 million TAFE campus at Western Sydney. 

The additional 100,000 fee-free courses will be made up of 70,000 new courses for young job-seekers and 30,000 TAFE places for mature-aged workers in retaining or re-entering the workforce. 

“There is an unprecedented demand for more skilled workers in NSW thanks to our booming economy, record low unemployment rate of 3.9 per cent, and unprecedented $90 billion investment in new infrastructure,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. 

“This brings the total number of free TAFE and VET course we are offering over the next four years to nearly 700,000 places,” she added. 

The new Western Sydney TAFE will deliver specialised training in construction trades with skills such as carpentry, construction, electrical and plumbing. 

In addition, they will produce 700 new tradies each year. 

“Already we’re seeing soaring demand for construction trade enrolments at TAFE thanks to our infrastructure boom and with these additional free courses you can be assured we’ll see even more demand,” Minister responsible for TAFE NSW Adam Marshall said. 

“This commitment to TAFE and VET will ensure there is a pipeline of skilled workers to keep driving the NSW economy forward and get the job done,” Mr Marshall said.