TAFE NSW aims to shake up business, government training

TAFE NSW is to target the training market in the public service and major private sector companies.

NSW TAFE managing director Jon Black. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Flatlining investment in vocational and technical education has prompted TAFE NSW to embrace a fresh strategy to carve out a lucrative market by targeting the public service and major private sector companies.

On Friday, it launched a platform dubbed TAFE Enterprise, which identified a $9.2 billion market for the delivery of training across corporate Australia and the government sector.

NSW TAFE managing director Jon Black will today promote the initiative by writing to the secretaries and deputy secretaries of departments in NSW and Canberra, announcing that TAFE ­Enterprise is “open for business” and ready to deliver training.

Mr Black told The Australian: “This strategy is a game-changer for us, enabling us to leverage our products, expertise and digital capabilities to seriously compete in the national training market.

“Big business, and presumably government too, is scared stiff about how they’re going to deal with major skills gaps.

“We are looking forward to shaking up the market.”

TAFE Enterprise will aim to develop customised training to meet the needs of businesses and fill skills gaps. It will have an initial focus on the health, education, infrastructure and public administration sectors, all areas with strong government involvement.

Training will develop workers in management and leadership, business administration, technology, workplace health and safety, customer service, financial services and human resources.

TAFE NSW will build on programs in place with multinationals including Cisco, Microsoft, PwC, Harley Davidson, The Star and Lendlease.

Rob Deck, managing director for Lendlease’s Barangaroo South development in Sydney, said TAFE Enterprise had enabled the company to “deliver the right training to the right people at the right time”.

He said TAFE Enterprise would be able to train on-site, to customise its programs and adapt to individual business needs.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows commonwealth funding for technical and further education had increased by just 1 per cent between 2011-12 and 2016-17.

This compared to an increase of 25 per cent for primary and secondary education and 17 per cent for university education.