Following the McGowan Government’s Review of Skills, Training and Workforce Development, in response to COVID-19, Western Australia’s State-wide network of Jobs and Skills Centres (JSCs) has been expanded to include new locations in Armadale and Midland.
The review recommended that capacity and coverage of the JSC network be expanded to increase support to jobseekers, career changers and young people around the metropolitan area.
Midland and Armadale were identified as key areas, and the new JSCs are now operating from North Metropolitan TAFE’s Midland and South Metropolitan TAFE’s Armadale campuses.
The new JSCs will benefit jobseekers, Aboriginal people and school leavers by providing a launch pad into training opportunities, jobs and long-term employment.
JSC staff will provide free quality guidance, advice and information on careers, training and employment to help people get into jobs.
They will also provide businesses with free assistance to develop their workforce, including recruiting new workers, apprentices and trainees, and developing the skills of their existing workers.
Both JSCs will work to meet local needs, including youth unemployment and low workforce engagement following COVID-19. Their highly experienced staff will focus on getting young people, women, displaced workers, and career changers into training and jobs to meet immediate and emerging skill requirements.
Aboriginal people are a key priority client group for the new centres with the Midland JSC working closely with Koolark, a support centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and the Armadale JSC working with the Wungening Aboriginal Corporation.
Working with local industries to identify job opportunities, the JSCs will collaborate with the METRONET Trade Training Centre, City of Swan, Midland Chamber of Commerce, City of Armadale and community services including Jobactive, Headspace Armadale and the Harry Hunter Rehabilitation Centre in nearby Gosnells.
The new centres are supported by the recently announced $167.4 million Rebuilding our TAFEs plan, which includes a new $22.6 million TAFE campus for Armadale, a $2.5 million upgrade for the new METRONET Trade Training Centre at Midland and the expansion of the McGowan Government’s popular Lower fees, local skills program.
The METRONET Trade Training Centre will be used to deliver a qualification in electrical rail signalling from Semester 1, 2021, and is critical to ensuring local content of at least 50 per cent on METRONET projects, including railcars. This will create opportunities for local workers, pre-apprentices and apprentices.
South Metropolitan TAFE’s replacement Armadale campus will be a purpose-built, multistorey facility to accommodate more students and enhance training delivery so locals can learn the skills they need for growing industries.
WA’s Jobs and Skills Centres are complemented by a comprehensive website that includes a jobs notice board, qualification lists, a course search feature and Career Connect, a Facebook group established by JSC staff to connect jobseekers, employers, industry groups, VET practitioners and career practitioners.
For more information, visit https://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au or contact your local Jobs and Skills Centre on 13 64 64.
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“The McGowan Government’s Jobs and Skills Centres work closely with industry, business and employers to create work and training opportunities, and the value of these hubs has never been more evident than now.
“We are investing in employment and training advice for the Armadale and Midland communities and I encourage jobseekers and young people in these areas to make contact with their newly opened JSC.
“The creation of these centres is well-timed with the expansion of our Lower fees, local skills program, which has made training affordable for all Western Australians.”
