Professional development

Skills investment in Victoria will see more support for literacy, numeracy and digital skills

Freya Lucas

Jul 15, 2020

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The Victorian Government has committed to a $1.25 million investment in crucial skills training to boost the literacy, numeracy and digital skills of adults as they prepare for further study or employment opportunities, including in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector.

Victorian Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney made the announcement at a recent visit to The Centre for Continuing Education, a Learn Local organisation in Wangaratta.

Learn Local providers deliver pre-accredited training and programs, providing assistance to “people from all ages and all walks of life”, who need extra support to turn their lives around.

The funding will allow more people to enrol with Learn Local providers and take a step towards securing jobs or further qualifications, with part of the investment being allocated to Digital Adjustment grants to improve digital access in regional and rural Victoria. The investment will also support lead practitioners in literacy and numeracy to support Koorie learners across the state.

A state-wide campaign will promote pre-accredited training as a pathway to employment and further training for the most vulnerable people in a range of Victorian communities, with culturally and linguistically diverse learners to also be targeted.

Learn Local sites, a Government spokesperson said, have a strong presence in local communities across the state and are often the first point of call for people looking to reskill. The sites also have strong links with migrant communities and support people with English as a second language.

The $1.25 million in funding is part of a wider $163 million package of targeted investments announced by the Victorian Government earlier this month that will make it easier for people to retrain so they can get work in sectors that need more skilled workers.

The package will expand the government’s signature Free TAFE program and aims to get more Victorians impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly women and young people, into training for jobs in industries that will drive the state’s economic recovery.

“The Learn Local sector makes an invaluable contribution to the broader Victorian community and this funding will allow it to help more vulnerable people affected by the pandemic to gain skills and get jobs,” Ms Tierney said.

For more information, please see here.

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