The Western Australia Government has partnered with the Federal Government to subsidise its pre-employment pathway program, after new digital skills training courses were also added to the network.

The Digital Workplace Job Ready program is one of 130 courses made fee-free in 2024 due to the partnership, with a variety of short course training for administrative and customer service jobs available alongside access to industry participants and employers.

Delivered at North Metropolitan TAFE (NM TAFE), the program will also sit under the banner of its Koomba Birdal (Big Spark) program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, who will be supported by NM TAFE’s Koolark Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and the NM TAFE Jobs and Skills Centre.

Program graduates have managed to secure 12-month traineeships after being connected with various employers through work placement including Pacific Energy, MEGT, Waalitj Foundation and WesCEF.

“The Digital Workplace Job Ready program is designed to develop the digital skills of job seekers or career changers, preparing them for administration and customer service-based roles across a range of industries,” Training Minister, Simone McGurk, said.

“The Digital Workplace Job Ready Program is a great opportunity to gain valuable entry-level skills and links with an employer to help you enter the digital workforce.

“The Digital Workplace Job Ready Program was developed in response to workforce needs and responds to feedback from industry for short, sharp training as raised in the 2021 WA Skills Summit.

“The State Training Board and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA identified that employers in a range of industries were having difficulty filling administration, reception, and customer service roles.

“There has never been a better time to boost your confidence and enhance your digital skills through the free Digital Workplace Job Ready program, where you can learn valuable skills in a real workplace.”

The program provides training in digital organisation of data and records, as well as how to use different software applications.

“This is a fantastic initiative that is helping Aboriginal students get the skills they need be part of the digital workforce and land jobs in administration and customer service,” Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Tony Buti, said.

“I would encourage other young Aboriginal people to consider taking advantage of this free training – who knows where it could take you.”