Potential tradies will be entitled to free apprenticeships from July 1, 2018.

The state’s biggest shortfall in apprenticeships is in building and construction, followed by trades including plumbers and electricians.

But the state Budget announced today has allowed for 100,000 people to study work skills such as plumbing, bricklaying and carpentry in a $285 million rollout. There are currently 60,000 people doing apprenticeships in NSW.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said: “As of July 1 anyone who signs up for an apprenticeship in NSW will not pay a single cent.

“We’ve got a massive skills shortage in key areas of traditional trades such as building and construction, plumbers and electricians – but high demand and that’s only going to continue to grow,” he said.

Students will no longer have to pay up to $3000 to learn a trade under the new scheme. The cost of apprenticeships has often been seen as a deterrent to enthusiastic people willing to learn a trade.  

“In my mind, it you really want to encourage apprentices for a government…just get rid of the $2000- $3000 that they are currently expected to pay,” Mr Barilaro said. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “We have already created positions for apprentices… and now we are covering the cost of training.” 

There are more than 120 different apprenticeship courses available in NSW, in a range of industries including construction, cooking, aviation and automotive. Learning a trade is a smart way for people to secure their future – in the next 12 months alone, experts predict NSW will need another 50,000 skilled construction workers.

There will also be a new fleet of Mobile Training Units to complement TAFE’s Connected Learning Centres.

For more information, visit www.vet.nsw.gov.au.