Residents and businesses in the fast-growing Green Square area will be able to build skills in their own backyard with access to dozens of new TAFE NSW training programs.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore today joined the NSW Minister for Skills, John Barilaro, to launch TAFE NSW’s presence in Green Square.
Classes will initially be offered in construction, hospitality and information technology. TAFE NSW will work closely with local businesses and chambers of commerce to develop workforce training programs targeted at existing and emerging employment needs in the Green Square area.
Plans for a purpose-built TAFE NSW training venue in Green Square will also be announced later in the year.
The Lord Mayor said the City of Sydney was delighted to welcome TAFE NSW to Green Square.
“Green Square is Australia’s biggest urban renewal project – when complete, it will be home to 61,000 residents in over 30,000 new homes, and more than 21,000 jobs.
“We’re committed to doing everything we can to ensure Green Square will be a world-class urban neighbourhood, with all the services and community facilities its residents and workers need.
“The City has long advocated for additional public transport throughout the area, including light rail, as well as health services, schools and the other important social infrastructure required for a population of this size.
“I congratulate TAFE NSW for seizing the opportunity to bring the first post-secondary education service to Green Square, and we look forward to working with them to help build a stronger and more highly-skilled community.”
The start of TAFE NSW classes in Green Square comes alongside the launch of TAFE NSW’s new report, ‘Sydney’s Skills Outlook’, that analyses the changes affecting Sydney’s employment landscape and the skills challenges these changes present.
The report found there will be 105,000 additional people working in the TAFE NSW area in the next five years.
The highest rates of employment growth will occur in professional, scientific and technical services; health care and social assistance; retail trade, finance and insurance services; and accommodation and food services.
The report also found employers in all sectors increasingly require flexibility from workplace training providers, with a focus on developing specialised technical skills and delivering services online.
Minister Barilaro said: “At the same time that job numbers are increasing in key industries, the types of work people are performing in Sydney is also changing. Employers in all sectors need a training provider which can work flexibly with them.
“TAFE NSW will align more closely to the industries and occupations which currently have high levels of employment and will continue to do so in the years ahead.”
The City has committed $540 million over the next 10 years for the delivery of the Green Square town centre, a 13-hectare site at the centre of the Green Square development area.
This includes new community facilities such as an aquatic centre, library and plaza, childcare centre, creative hub and new parks and open spaces.
The 278-hectare Green Square development includes the suburbs of Beaconsfield and Zetland, and parts of Rosebery, Alexandria and Waterloo.
The area will eventually have 30,500 new dwellings, including about 10,000 now under assessment or construction. When fully completed, Green Square will have a population of up to 61,000 people and provide around 21,000 permanent jobs – many of which will be in the new town centre.
For more information, visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/greensquare
For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin. Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Paul Mackay. Phone 0432 182 647 or email pmackay@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au