The Albanese and Miles Labor Governments are jointly investing $35 million to establish a Care and Support TAFE Centre of Excellence at Queensland TAFE’s Cairns campus.
The Centre of Excellence will advance partnerships with care providers, universities (including the University of the Sunshine Coast and Griffith University), Jobs and Skills Councils, unions, and Queensland and national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health councils.
The Centre will ensure TAFE students receive the high-level skills training they need to succeed in the care and support workforce and respond to workforce challenges.
It will strengthen capability and capacity for the aged care, disability support and mental health care sector by:
- progressing new vocational pathways in health and health leadership to help grow and retain care and support workforces.
- increasing accessibility for regional, rural and remote students, by reducing the digital divide to support equitable access to training in the care and support sector, and
- supporting the acceleration of commitments to Closing the Gap by partnering with First Nations stakeholders to develop and deliver culturally appropriate and safe training pathways for First Nations students.
Boosting the number of skilled workers across the care and support sector is vital to meet the growing demand for essential care and support workforces.
Health Care and Social Assistance is Queensland’s fastest growing industry and is expected to employ more Far North Queenslanders than any other industry by 2025-26, so this initiative is critical to ensure our region can be a national leader
