Visual Connections supports training boost for NSW

Good news for the NSW industry with the State Department of Education approving funding for training that will formalise the skills and knowledge of signage staff who lack formal qualifications.

All training will be subsidised by the NSW government and is fully fee-free for successful applicants.

The new funding will support Regional Trade Assessments, a registered training organisation (RTO) dedicated to supporting skills training in the signage and framing industries, to deliver the new Trade Pathways Program.

The programme is essentially a fully-funded trade recognition and gap training opportunity for people over the age of 21 who have at least two years’ experience in their industry. The sign and graphics industry is one of 36 trades that will be eligible for funding, with a total of 750 training places to be provided over the next 12 months.

Peter Harper, CEO of supplier association Visual Connections, which has a long history supporting trade apprenticeships and training in the sign and graphic communications sector, said the announcement was a welcome boost for many who are working in the industry but have no formal qualification to their name.

“The Trade Pathways Program gives many of our brightest and best workers the opportunity to have their skills and previous work experience recognised, and assessed towards the achievement of a trade certificate, as well as receive any training needed to close the gaps in their knowledge and skills,” he said.

“With the ongoing issue of skills shortages in all manufacturing sectors, including our own, this is a wonderful opportunity to increase the number of qualified and job-ready trades people in NSW, as well as give those already working in our industry the opportunity to further their career with a trade qualification.

“With limited places available, we encourage employers to move quickly to identify staff members who could benefit, and also urge anyone who is working in the industry, but is not yet formally qualified, to contact RTA to explore the possibilities for themselves.”

Regional Trade Assessments provides nationally recognised qualifications, including CPC30216 Cert III in Signs and Graphics, and ICP31220 Cert III in Printing. They can be contacted via their website www.rta.edu.au and full details of the new government program is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/skills-nsw/trade-pathways.