Northern Beaches Locals Encouraged to Build Skills During Pandemic

Member for Manly, James Griffin is encouraging locals to take advantage of new fee-free TAFE NSW courses to build their skills during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental health, digital security, business administration and construction industry skill sets are just some of the 10 COVID rapid response courses on offer to people through the lockdown.

Member for Manly said the free training had come at the right time.

“Training will be delivered through either online, self-paced learning or teacher-led virtual classrooms, which means people can upskill from their own home, with the confidence they are completing high quality, accredited TAFE training,” Mr Griffin said.

“This is a great opportunity for Northern Beaches locals to pursue further training pathways to get a head-start towards a full qualification should they wish to continue studying down the track.”

Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said the fee-free training in employment growth areas was just one of the ways the NSW Government was supporting the community through the lockdown.

“Whether you are in lockdown in Greater Sydney, or in a regional community, I urge NSW residents to take advantage of the free training options available that will help build the skills needed to get a head start in a post-COVID economy,” Mr Lee said.

“TAFE NSW is committed to helping the people of NSW to grow their skills in a COVID-safe way.

The short courses are in addition to the hundreds of NSW Government fee-free training already available for those who meet eligibility criteria, such as Mature Aged Workers Scholarships, Women in Business, and the JobTrainer program.

If you are an Australian citizen, permanent resident, aged 15 years or older, no longer at school and living or working in NSW you may be eligible for the COVID rapid response courses.

The 10 fee-free short courses include:

• Reading plans for builders
• Construction materials and work, health and safety
• Digital security basics
• Medical terminology
• Business administration skills
• Business skills for supervisors
• Producing documents and spreadsheets
• Food handling
• Mental health
• Alcohol and other drug work

For more information and to see if you are eligible, visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/fee-free-short-courses or call 131 601.