Financial investment expected to introduce trades, skilled careers to an extra 7,500 students each year
The New South Wales government is investing $11.6 million to expand a programme that can guide an extra 7,500 students each year to trades, vocational training, and skilled careers.
The program, called Educational Pathways Programme (EPP), will receive the investment across four years, according to the state government.
The EPP is a state initiative that introduces NSW public high school students to a range of vocational training and employment pathways in a bid to improve education and career outcomes.
It was introduced in 2020, with its pilot involving only 24 schools, before eventually expanding to 183 government high schools across 11 regions in NSW.
The state government said the $11.6-million investment will allow the programme to expand the number of participating schools to 207 from next year, including seven new schools in the Central West and Orana, seven in the Camden region, eight in southern NSW, and two in south-west Sydney.
The NSW government announced the commitment during the country's National Skills Week, which is marked from 25 to 31 August.
"This National Skills Week, and every week, we're backing our commitment to build the skilled workforce our state needs while giving young people, regardless of their location, the confidence and support to pursue rewarding careers close to home," said Steve Whan, NSW's minister for skills, TAFE, and tertiary education.
According to Whan, the EPP is also important because not every student wants to follow the same path after school.
"Whether it's a school-based apprenticeship, a traineeship, TAFE, or another vocational pathway, we want young people to know the opportunities are there and help them take that next step," he said.
"Those pathways can lead to rewarding, secure jobs in key industries like construction, clean energy, agriculture and manufacturing that our economy depends on."
The programme's expansion is also expected to boost the pipeline of skilled workers in NSW, after a new report indicated that almost three quarters of businesses in the state are struggling to recruit.
"As we deliver more homes, major infrastructure and renewable energy projects across NSW, it's critical we have enough skilled workers in the pipeline, and this $11.6 million boost will help with exactly that," Whan said.
