130 fee-free qualifications and skill sets are available in 2024 and the Commonwealth and State Governments have extended the agreement to deliver fee-free training until the end of 2026.

Enrolments for 2024 are still being finalised, however there have been a record number of applications to study fee-free courses in 2024 - a 29 per cent increase on applications compared to this time last year. There has also been a 25 per cent increase in applications for TAFE courses overall.

Health and care sector qualifications made up seven out of the top ten fee-free full qualifications, with the strongest enrolment growth in 2023, compared to the previous year.
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Other courses in the top ten for enrolment growth last year include:
• Certificate IV in Information Technology/Certificate IV in Information Technology Networking (up by 473 enrolments); and
• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (up 239 enrolments)

Access the TAFE website

​The State Government has launched the TAFE: Be More campaign to showcase the vocational education and training (VET) courses and pathways available at TAFE colleges around the state.
Prospective students can explore over 1,000 courses on the new TAFE website that are specifically designed to cater to their career and study objectives. The website hosts short films that offer a glimpse into the lives of TAFE students.
The brand campaign positions TAFE as leader in achieving life changing outcomes for individuals and features more than 30 WA TAFE students who are completing VET qualifications, giving them skills to get ahead and excel in their chosen career.
The campaign was filmed on location at each of the five TAFE colleges throughout WA, and showcases the diverse range of study areas as well as the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities available.
Music tracks for the campaigns were also created by TAFE students. ‘TAFE: Be More’ specifically aims to inspire Western Australians to enrol at TAFE to progress their training and career opportunities – regardless of where they live or the barriers they may face.

The National Skills Agreement is a 5-year joint agreement between the Commonwealth, states and territories to strengthen the vocational education and training (VET) sector and will commence 1 January 2024.
The Agreement will:

• deliver a national VET system that provides high quality, responsive and accessible education and training to boost productivity
• support Australians to obtain the skills and capabilities they need to obtain well-paid, secure jobs
• ensure Australia has the skilled workforce it needs now and into the future, with TAFE at the heart of the VET sector.

National priorities are areas where governments have agreed require focused effort to address critical skills and workforce shortages. The agreed inaugural national priorities are:

• gender equality
• Closing the Gap
• supporting the Net Zero transformation
• sustaining essential care services
• developing Australia’s sovereign capability and food security
• ensuring Australia’s digital and technology capability
• delivering reforms to improve the regulation of VET qualifications and quality.

More information about the National Skills Agreement

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) latest report shows that apprentice and trainee commencements increased to 85,470 in the March quarter 2022, the highest number for a quarter since 2012.  
The industry sectors with the largest absolute increases in commencements were Accommodation (51.0%), Manufacturing (37.7%), and Administrative and Support Services (21.7%) compared to March quarter 2021. 
Unfortunately cancellations and withdrawals increased during the quarter (up 28.2% from March quarter 2021).
Western Australia has 45 940 apprentice and trainees in training (up 25.4% from 31 March 2021). Read the full report here.

The state government has announced a $3.9 million package to fund tourism and hospitality workforce initiatives over the next two years.

The funding will support a series of job-ready skills training courses with StudyPerth for international students and initiatives targeting working holiday makers to leverage the returning pool of workers in these markets.

Tourism and hospitality will be promoted as a rewarding career through activity such as the Chef Ambassador in-school hospitality demonstration program delivered by Hospitality Group Training, and an annual program of in-school tourism career information sessions will also support longer-term initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to consider careers in tourism and hospitality and creating a sustainable pipeline of local skilled workers.
Read the media release here

In addition, a new hospitality and tourism recruitment campaign, called Discover the Other Side, will launch in coming weeks. The campaign will aim to help attract hospitality and tourism workers from interstate and New Zealand to work and live in WA.
More information about: Discover the Other Side

The formal ‘Industry Summary’ document has been guided by the sector’s Industry Reference Committee, comprising stakeholders from various industry organisations such as Restaurant Catering Australia, the Caravan Industry Association, AHA, training bodies, tourism groups and the Australian Travel Careers Council.

The draft summary gives an overview of the interconnected nature of travel, tourism and hospitality, as well as the crippling effect of COVID-19 and the expected industry recovery supported by the Government’s THRIVE 2030 strategy targeting $230 billion in visitor spending.

All the relevant qualifications have been reviewed and the only new proposed qualification is a Certificate IV in Travel qualification to be reviewed 2023-24 .

​To download a copy of the draft Tourism, Travel and Hospitality IRC Industry Summary, please Click Here

To provide feedback on the document: Click Here  (closes 5.00pm, Friday 29 July 2022)

Training Package Products including qualifications, skill sets and units of competency for the Events, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality sectors, Cookery and Kitchen Operations and the Responsible Service of Alcohol have been updated in order to meet the current and future needs of industry.

The updated Training Package SIT - Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Training Package (Release 2.0) has been published on the national register and can be accessed here.

• ​A new website has been created in partnership with the Australian Hotels Association WA and Tourism WA and connects job seekers with available tourism and hospitality roles to help employers fill vacancies.  
• This purpose-built platform will exclusively host tourism and hospitality jobs, while offering job seekers training, visa support, seasonal opportunities and information on regional destinations.   
• The jobs site is free for both employers and job seekers. 
• With the WA border now open, and international and interstate visitors back in Western Australia, there is a need for additional workers across many businesses throughout the State, particularly in regional areas. 

​Click here to access the new website

Apprentices
Apprentices in high-demand industries (including Chefs) will get up to $5000 in cash payments for the first two years of their training but wage subsidies will be scaled back for employers.
The renamed Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Scheme has been re targeted so that apprentices, as well as employers, receive financial incentives.
Under the scheme, from July 1 employers in “priority occupations” will receive 10 per cent wage subsidy for first and second-year apprentices and 5 per cent for third years. The subsidy caps out at $15,000. Employers in regional areas will receive an additional 5 per cent wage subsidy for each of the three years of an apprentice’s training.
In a measure aimed at tackling dropout rates among young tradies, those aged between 15 and 20 will receive a follow-up call within three months of starting their apprenticeships to iron out any early issues and the government will fund 2500 more in-training support places.
Tourism Research
The Budget allocates $2 million for a new “visitor economy online employment and skills platform” as well as $4.8 million for Tourism Research Australia “to capture and analyse more tourism and visitor data to help businesses operating in the visitor economy make improved business decisions,”
Working Holiday makers
To help address skills shortages, the current caps on Working Holiday Makers will have a one off 30% increase in 2022/23.
Training
With the aim of encouraging small businesses to train new staff and upskill existing employees, small businesses that invest in training new employees will receive a $120 tax deduction for every $100 spent on training employees.
Read the budget papers here

The McGowan Government has announced funding for the construction of new state-of-the-art training facilities at North Regional TAFE's Broome and Kununurra campuses.
As part of the Rebuilding our TAFEs plan, $10 million has been allocated for a hospitality training centre in Broome, and $6 million has been allocated for a health and hospitality trade training centre at the Kununurra campus.
The new centre in Broome will provide students with a contemporary training environment and will be home to a new live works training restaurant and alfresco café. The centre will ensure students are job-ready and equipped to take up local employment opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry as well as in the wider region such as catering in mine sites.
Live training restaurants add vibrancy to local communities and foster better industry partnerships while delivering industry-standard training.
The upgrades at North Regional TAFE's are part of the $167.4 million investment in capital works projects.
Read the full ministerial media statement.