Students at South Metropolitan TAFE’s Carlisle campus are the first to benefit from the McGowan Government’s $25 million investment in new state-of-the-art equipment being rolled out across Western Australia’s TAFE network.
Automotive refinishing and industrial coating students, who had been learning on ageing equipment, will now train using state-of-the-art large high-tech spray-painting booths that meet industry standards and Australian requirements.
The new equipment includes three full down draft spray booths, one semi-down draft spray booth, a paint mixing room, two gun-cleaning stations and four preparation bays.
Upgrades and additions have also been made to the TAFE’s extraction systems, including installation of a new filter wall, new breathing apparatuses and new hose reels.
The project was funded through the Training Equipment Refresher Program, which is a four-year program to upgrade and modernise equipment to meet contemporary industry standards.
All five TAFE colleges are receiving new equipment as part of the program to support training demand and emerging industry training needs – helping students, apprentices and trainees to become more job-ready.
The McGowan Government’s highly successful ‘Lower fees, local skills’ initiative has contributed to substantial growth in TAFE enrolments, with a record of more than 150,000 publicly funded course enrolments reported in 2021.
Across the ‘Lower fees, local skills’ initiative, there have been more than 51,300 publicly funded enrolments so far this year.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“My Government is delivering on its commitment to improve training for Western Australians as well as industry access to a skilled local workforce.
“Our low-fee training has delivered strong results, putting more Western Australians on the pathway to quality local jobs.
“This investment in state-of-the-art equipment will ensure those students leave TAFE work-ready and equipped with skills that are desirable to employers.
“In the recent 2022-23 State Budget we are continuing to deliver more for training, with $76.5 million allocated to provide more targeted training opportunities for Western Australians to take up quality jobs.”
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“This new high-tech automotive spray-painting centre at Carlisle TAFE is the only public training facility of its kind in Western Australia.
“Our $25 million investment in modern equipment for Western Australia’s TAFEs will ensure that students are being trained on industry-standard equipment so they are ready to start using it out in the workforce.
“Our highly successful Lower fees, local skills initiative has resulted in a huge uptake in vocational education and training courses, and our investment in new equipment ensures students leave TAFE as highly employable graduates with skills that meet the needs of industry.”
