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.

As part of the WA Recovery Plan, the McGowan Government has announced a world-class hospitality and tourism training centre will be built at South Metropolitan TAFE's Mandurah campus.
The $9.17 million centre will replace an ageing home economics-style room to enable training of apprentice chefs in the Peel region. The centre will also focus on engaging local secondary students, young people and the long-term unemployed in vocational education and training.
The centre is set to improve the Peel region's capacity to train job-ready, highly skilled chefs, as well as front of house staff, event coordinators and tourism workers.
Read the full ministerial media statement.

Western Australian tourism company, Prendiville Group has purchased the former Fremantle Technical College.
​Plans include redeveloping part of the 2,400 square metre site to house a contemporary centre of excellence for hospitality management, which the Prendiville Group is seeking to partner with various institutions, to support hotels across the State, and create high-quality tourist experiences.
Short-term activation of the site will include opening a new alfresco food and beverage offering, with future potential for a hotel or student accommodation facility to front Norfolk Lane.
The sale will ensure that the State heritage-listed buildings, which are currently underutilised, will be restored and activated, making a positive contribution to the broader revitalisation of the Fremantle city centre.
Read the full ministerial media statement

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) had a busy month in, with the 29th 'No Frills' conference held online for the first time between 7 and 10 July, and the release of research and teacher resources.  The conference theme was: Workforce ready: challenges and opportunities for VET.

Apprentices and Trainees:

• Australian VET statistics: Apprentices and trainees 2019 — December quarter is available at NCVER Publications.
• For Information on employment outcomes, reasons for non-completion, and satisfaction with training for apprentices and trainees, view Apprentice and trainee experiences and destinations 2019.

Research:

• A discussion paper exploring the theme ‘Workforce ready: challenges and opportunities for VET’ was released in preparation for the 29th National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’ .
• The use of RPL in VET is decreasing, according to a new report released by the NCVER.  Exploring the recognition of prior learning in Australian VET.

VET Practitioner Resources:

• NEW PODCAST: Responding to Industry 4.0 - what works.  Digital skills are now essential for most occupations in Australia. So what does this mean for VET courses and, therefore, our VET educators? Join Steve Davis as he talks to Suzi Kuti, Metro Trains Sydney, and NCVER researchers Michelle Circelli and Bridget Wibrow about what teaching digital skills means for VET educators, their integration into VET delivery, and why they should become key foundation skills for all VET students.  LISTEN: VET's response to Industry 4.0 and the digital economy: what works
• Good practice guides Incorporating digital skills into VET delivery and Teaching digital skills: implications for VET educators are available on the NCVER Portal.

The annual Western Australian Training Awards will go ahead in 2020, following the State's staged easing of COVID-19 restrictions.  Applications opened on July 1, with the State's top apprentices, trainees and students encouraged to apply. 

Individual winners will receive $3,000 in cash and may be eligible to compete against the nation's best at the Australian Training Awards in November.

This year, winners will be recognised across five individual categories. These are: WA Apprentice of the Year; WA School-based Apprentice of the Year; WA Trainee of the Year; WA Vocational Student of the Year; and WA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year.

Applications close August 14, 2020 and winners will be announced in October.

For more information or to apply, visit https://www.dtwd.wa.gov.au/watrainingawards/

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) will contact almost one million people who completed vocational education and training in 2019 through the annual National Student Outcomes Survey. These students will be contacted about their employment outcomes, satisfaction, and training relevance, with survey results used to help future students make decisions about training, and to assist governments and training providers to ensure VET is of high quality and relevant to Australian workplaces. NCVER media statement

The Productivity Commission is examining how well the Australian, State and Territory governments have achieved their goals for the vocational education and training (VET) system as set out in the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development, and the suitability of this agreement for the future.
The Commission released its interim report on June 5, 2020 and is inviting submissions or comment.
For more information and to download a copy of the report, visit the Productivity Commission website. 

The Department of Training and Workforce Development will cover training costs for more than 3,000 apprentices and trainees who have had their contracts cancelled or suspended. Fees have been scrapped to enable apprentices and trainees to continue their training 'off the job' for up to six months.
More than half of the apprentices and trainees impacted so far are in hospitality, tourism, wholesale and retail services, personal services, finance, property and business services, and building and construction.
Fees will be paid directly to training providers, available from July 1, 2020.
Media statement.

Regional Arts Australia have announced the details of The Recovery Boost funding scheme for individual creative practitioners and organisations in regional, remote and rural Australia. The funding is a one off investment provided by the Commonwealth Government which recognises the central role the arts play in supporting cohesive, thriving communities in regional Australia.  The funding which is designed to meet immediate, medium and long term activity through Relief, Recovery and Renewal stages includes a broad range of criteria including professional development and training programs.  Further information can be found here.