SA invests record $1.44 billion as part of National Skills Agreement 

The South Australian Government is investing a record $1.44 billion, on top of an additional $880 million from the Commonwealth, as part of the National Skills Agreement (NSA), to shore up workers in crucial fields, including early childhood education and care (ECEC) – with funding rolling out this year.

The investment in skills and training is the largest in the state’s history and is designed to ensure apprentices and trainees are being trained in the sectors South Australia needs for the future of the economy – and that young people are getting jobs in trades and professions the state needs.

The skills investment rolling out this year focuses on five key areas:

1. Ensuring training places are available in areas of need
   2. Making sure students complete their course
   3. Having TAFE as the public provider at the centre
   4. High-quality training and making sure apprentices are safe at work
   5. Lifting the state’s skills level

Over the next five years, the government will support 160,000 new subsidised training places, in areas of critical need, with a total $225 million investment allocated for 2024-25 alone.

The funding is designed to ensure that SA is able to meet the skills demand in areas of priority including ECEC, construction, defence and space, and IT as the state focuses on huge projects such as building thousands of homes, the construction of the River Torrens to Darlington project, AUKUS and three-year-old preschool.

The investment for the year also includes:

• $13.4m to support students’ mental health and wellbeing to increase completion rates – giving them access to services such as counselling
• $2.7m in foundational skills training in literacy, numeracy and digital to give more South Australians the critical skills they need to find employment
• $21.9m to increase the number of training places offered through TAFE SA, with a focus on growing enrolments the regions
• $1.3m to increase compliance and audits to ensure high-quality training is offered.
  *Up to $3m in equipment and capital grants to give students the best training with state-of-the-art equipment.

“We are injecting $2.3 billion, an historic increase in funding, to give South Australians the skills they need to secure the in-demand jobs that our state is calling out for,” SA Education Minister Blair Boyer said.

“This is part of our clear plan to tackle the skill shortage, get people into training, and ensure students are finishing their courses – and that investment in skills is where it matters most for areas of critical need.”