More students will get the skills and experience they need to get a job with more funding for courses that give real-life practical experience.
The Victorian Government is providing $43.1 million from the Workforce Training Innovation Fund for industry to develop courses with TAFE and training providers which meet changing workplace needs – giving industry a real say in the training being delivered.
The $1.4 million announcement for Curve Tomorrow to launch the Jasper Virtual Reality Simulation Program will give paediatric health professionals training in true-to-life crisis situations.
Developed by the health innovation company in collaboration with Holmesglen TAFE and Swinburne University, the program will give students the opportunity to experience a series of realistic scenarios with actors playing the parts of patients or parents.
Scenarios include responding as a team to critically injured patients, dealing with a stressed and aggressive parent, or resuscitating an infant. Using a virtual reality headset, students will be fully immersed in a 360 degree, pre-recorded virtual environment, helping them to develop the skills they need to get a job.
“We’re proud to be investing in a project that will play a key role in ensuring we have the skilled healthcare professionals Victoria needs for its growing healthcare sector,” Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney said.
This complements a further $4.9 million project announced earlier this year by Minister Tierney to develop and test the Maker Immersion Kit, a virtual reality simulation station that will deliver training for students undertaking Certificate IV in Building and Construction.
The fully deployable kit will enable industry standard, accredited training to be delivered where it is needed most – at TAFEs and training facilities as well as on construction sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Apprentices will do their training in an interactive virtual reality environment, giving them the chance to work and seek feedback in a variety of fully immersive construction scenarios, ranging from residential construction to large-scale infrastructure projects.
The Victorian Government is investing $172 million to make 30 priority TAFE courses and 18 pre-apprenticeship courses tuition free that are most in demand from Victorian employers. A further 10 free TAFE courses will be confirmed in time for students to enrol for the 2019 training year.