Retired Australian State Veterans To Get Free Training

SYDNEY — Veterans of the South-eastern Australian state of New South Wales and their partners will be entitled to free training to help them transition back to civilian life. Under the Veterans Skills Program, those eligible will get access to free TAFE courses and learning to improve their employment opportunities.

The training includes 750 fee-free courses and will be offered through more than 450 Registered Training Organizations, including New South Wales TAFE.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the program was part of the government’s veterans strategy to support more than 200,000 former Australian Defense Force personnel across the state.

“The New South Wales Government understands it can be hard for some former defense force personnel to navigate life and find work after their service,” Berejiklian said.

“We want to ensure our veterans enjoy a smooth transition from military service to civilian life, with opportunities to continue developing their skills and participate fully in society.”

Skills and Tertiary Education Minister Geoff Lee said the courses would help the 1200 servicemen and women leave the defense force in New South Wales each year.

One of the biggest challenges in transitioning from the defense forces into civilian life, “particularly focusing on places like Nowra, Wagga, Hunter and ..Sydney”, he said on May 31.

“A key area of the Veterans Strategy is Education and Employment, which aims to ensure our veterans find the right job or training post-service,” Lee said in a statement.

“In addition to our fee-free training for veterans, our New South Wales Veterans Employment Program has helped 1,094 veterans find new and meaningful roles in the public sector 18 months ahead of our target date.

“With fee-free training, we can now help even more veterans re-skill to take advantage of jobs available in the market, including in industries experiencing skills shortages.”

James Rea retired from the Royal Australian Air Force in 2014 and informed reporters it was often a tough transition.

“It’s not always easy to transition the skills that you acquire through service … into often a quite narrow stream within civilian life … and so what’s being rolled out … is a fantastic opportunity,” he said.

As part of the landmark Veterans Skills Program, eligible learners can study any course offered under the Government’s Smart and Skilled program from a Certificate II to Advanced Diplomas, including all apprenticeships and selected traineeships.

 Skills New South Wales worked with employers, industry, and veterans groups to provide targeted training to help veterans get jobs.

(Edited by Vaibhav Vishwanath Pawar and Ojaswin Kathuria)