Member for Mulgoa, Tanya Davies MP, has called on local employers to take on more trainees following the launch of a new $54.3 million NSW Government Budget initiative to make government-subsidised traineeships fee-free.

Traineeships, through the NSW Smart and Skilled vocational education and training (VET) system, will join apprenticeships in being fee free from 1 January 2020.

Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said the NSW Government would be picking up the tab for the fees on all new traineeships, including school-based traineeships.

“Our investment in fee free traineeships, coupled with the $285 million initiative that’s made apprenticeships fee-free, demonstrates that we are serious about getting people into sustainable work and addressing the skills shortage” Mr Lee said.

Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said a skilled workforce is one of the most important factors in delivering high quality early childhood education.

“This announcement of the NSW Government’s investment to fund the student fees for Smart and Skilled eligible trainees is an important step in ensuring a skilled workforce to deliver high quality early childhood education and care” Ms Mitchell said.

“It’s encouraging that the most popular traineeships are in early childhood education with over 10,000 students since 2015 taking up a traineeship” Ms Mitchell said.