Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Boost to Vocational Training in Remote Indigenous Communities

Joint Media Release with:

  • Hon Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister
    Hon Julia Gillard MP, Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Education Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Minister for Social Inclusion

Secondary schools in remote Indigenous communities are set to benefit greatly over the next 10 years through new or upgraded trade training facilities provided by the Australian Government.

Under the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program, secondary schools can apply for funding of between $500,000 and $1.5 million, and through the National Partnership on Remote Service Delivery, the Australian Government is working with State and Territory counterparts to give intensive support and accelerate applications from schools in the 29 Remote Service Delivery communities

Seven schools in the 29 Remote Service Delivery priority locations have already had funding allocated for Trades Training Centres.

The Australian Government considers increased vocational training essential for improving school retention and important for the transition from school to employment in remote locations.

Several changes to the Trade Training Centres in Schools program are also being implemented to provide additional flexibility, including:

  • allowing schools in remote communities with large Indigenous student populations to deliver training targeted at the needs and education levels in these communities, including pre-vocational and Certificate I and II qualifications
  • allowing schools in remote communities to construct trade training facilities that contain a multi-purpose room to be used for temporary teacher accommodation to support a block-training delivery model
  • Qallowing schools in remote communities with enrolments to Year 9 or Year 10 to access the program more easily, especially where there are no nearby senior secondary schools.

This will help these schools develop high-quality and sustainable proposals that will deliver industry standard training to accelerate the roll out of Trades Training Centres to these priority locations.

This is consistent with the findings of the first report of the Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services.

The National Partnership on Remote Service Delivery was agreed by the Council of Australian Governments in November 2008.

Further information about the Trade Training Centres in Schools program is available at the Trade Training Cenres website.