Penrith Benefits from Fee-Free TAFE

More than 3,300 Penrith residents have benefited from Fee-Free TAFE courses in NSW, saving students thousands and responding to skills shortages across the state. 

Fee-Free TAFE has proven to be a win-win for NSW and our Penrith residents, with students and businesses reaping the advantages. This program is easing students' cost-of-living pressures while equipping workers with the knowledge required for high-demand industries.

New figures show the state smashing targets, with more than 47,000 people enrolled in care courses and over 16,000 in technology and digital courses. 

Over 11,000 people have enrolled in early childhood courses, with a student doing a Certificate III in NSW saving up to $1,600. 

The Albanese Government will continue to roll out Fee-Free TAFE across the nation, investing over $502.9 million for an additional 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE and VET places nationwide over the next three years, with a further 20,000 places in construction and housing, including 5,000 pre-apprenticeship places, creating secure, well-paid jobs. 

NSW Government Injects $74 Million to Supercharge TAFE's Digital Future

Nepean TAFE is one of sixty-eight TAFE NSW campuses to receive a significant funding boost of $529,000 to improve Digital Infrastructure and Wi-Fi upgrades.

The $74 million investment includes upgrading the outdated 2009 network, enhancing connectivity across the 68 campus locations, and providing 14,900 new devices for students, employees, and teaching spaces.

In today's hybrid environment, this investment in Nepean TAFE will ensure that our students have access to long-overdue essential digital upgrades, enhancing the state's capacity to deliver robust and scalable skills for critical and emerging industries.

For more information of Fee-Free courses, click here.

Teacher Vacancies Fall to a Three-Year Low Under Labor

After years of the former Liberal National government neglecting our essential services, the Minns Government has successfully begun reversing the damage. Teacher vacancy numbers in NSW public schools have fallen to a three-year low under Labor as we work to address the teacher shortage. Today, there are 24 per cent fewer vacancies than at the same time last year.

The continuing improvement in teacher numbers comes alongside new data indicating that resignations and retirements have dropped. Since 2022, there has been a 35 per cent drop, with teacher vacancies across the state's 2,200 states now numbering 1,698. Now, the rate of attrition is trending down as more teachers—including those with decades of experience—see the value of remaining in the profession.

Thanks to the Minns Government's giving NSW public school teachers the biggest pay rise in a generation and expanding the Department's Recruitment Support model to 110 schools, permanent teachers now make up 72 per cent of the teaching workforce.