The Federal and State governments have announced $1.75 billion in skills spending at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) held last week.

 

The skills package will be designed to accelerate skills reform by ensuring the national training system is better able to respond to the needs of the country’s economy.

 

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the package is vital to lift productivity and competitiveness of the country.

 

“This will help more Australians get the training they need to get a job, to change careers or to up-skill and get a better-paying job,” Ms Gillard said in a statement.

 

The spending package will see the following reforms:

  • The creation of a National Training Entitlement, giving working age Australians guaranteed access to a government subsidised training place;
  • The expansion of income-contingent loans to subsidised higher level qualifications in the vocational education and training (VET) system;
  • Launch of the MySkills website, to ensure students and industry can make an informed choice about the training that suits them, and a student identifier for the VET system; and
  • Measures to raise the quality of skills training and outcomes.

 

The creation of a National Training Entitlement will see all working age Australians guaranteed access to a government subsidised training place, up to their first Certificate III.