The Government’s free TAFE course initiative for under 25s will now be extended to 2023, but Logan residents say local businesses aren’t willing to invest in students.
Jarnah Lee enrolled in one of the Government’s subsidised TAFE courses last year. She is studying a Certificate 4 in Physiotherapy Assistant and Occupational Therapy Assistant.
“It’s a great opportunity to study for a little to no fee, being a mum and having other commitments with my financial situation, I appreciated the chance to be able to afford to study without the financial stress of fees.”
Miss Lee currently works as a disability support worker and is hoping to get into a university course in Exercise Physiology after her TAFE course finishes.
“After training in the gym for such a long time, I wanted to understand why we did certain movements when it came to strength training and how much it benefits our body, and how it can support injury management,” she said.
Not everyone is finding the courses as helpful though.
Logan mum, Dalaine Noy said her daughters – who enrolled in some of the free traineeships – struggled to find local employers to take them on.
“One of my daughters was looking for a vet to take her on for her traineeship, we approached 15 local vets in the area and then followed up with emails and got nothing,” she said.
“She now has to drive an hour to a vet we had a friend contact with to complete her certificates, which she loves, and they love her, but it’s a shame no locals will take people on.”
“I think for them it’s a paperwork nightmare, they often don’t know the logistics and the costs involved to them (the employer). There needs to be a better system in place.”
Mrs Noy said her other daughter who was looking at doing hairdressing had the same problem, with no one wanting to take on young students.
Miss Lee believes young people are under a lot of pressure when it comes to employment.
“Young people struggle to find employment because there’s so much pressure on them,” she said.
“We have been brought up in a society where we should know what we want to do straight out of school or even before leaving school. By the time uni students finish a degree, there’s a chase of finding someone who will accept you with the little to no experience you have.”
Miss Lee said where there’s a given problem, there’s a given opportunity and young people shouldn’t give up.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the free education initiative, which has already helped 56,000 Queenslanders, was due to end in September but will be extended until 2023.
“Queensland’s unemployment rate is at 3.8% and we know that means employers need workers to fill the good jobs that are still there,” she said.
“For many people, that may mean upgrading skills and training which is why free TAFE is so important.
“We want to make sure employers have access to the skilled workforce they need. We also want to make sure Queenslanders have the skills they need to take up the opportunities that are there for those good jobs.”
The $1.2 billion initiative offers 26 free TAFE programs, 139 Free apprenticeships programs and subsidised training options up to 30 June 2023.
For more information about the TAFE courses and apprenticeships for under 25s, visit www.qld.gov.au/skillspower
