Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training The Honourable Ros Bates
TAFE Campuses Buzz as Thousands Begin Training 2026
- Thousands of Queenslanders begin Semester One training at TAFE Queensland.
- Students are gaining practical skills for roles that support hospitals, housing delivery and frontline services.
- The Crisafulli Government is refocusing training on completions and real jobs and targeting investment to workforce need in priority sectors.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering a plan for Queensland’s future.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering a strong start to the State’s 2026 training year, with thousands of Queenslanders beginning Semester One training across TAFE.
From Thursday Island to Coolangatta, campuses are coming alive as students return to classrooms, workshops and training wards, gaining practical skills for roles that support hospitals, housing delivery and frontline services.
Queensland’s current skills shortages are the result of years of poor planning by the former Labor Government during their decade of decline, which focused on boosting enrolments instead of ensuring people finished their training and found real jobs.
That approach left workforce gaps that continue to place pressure on essential services across Queensland, but the Crisafulli Government is taking a different approach.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering a plan for Queensland’s future, with training investment being targeted to priority areas and linked to outcomes that matter, including completions, employment and workforce supply.
Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said the focus was on skills that led to work.
“We are backing Queenslanders to complete their training and move into real jobs,” Minister Bates said.
“We are focused on outcomes, not enrolment headlines or wasting taxpayers’ money.
“With more than 14,000 fee-free TAFE places, we are strengthening the health workforce through additional Diploma of Nursing places and targeted training in other priority areas.
“This approach ensures training aligns with workforce need and delivers value for Queenslanders.”
TAFE Queensland Interim Chief Executive Officer Brent Kinnane said TAFE Queensland was proud to deliver practical, job-ready training that supports Queensland’s economy and communities.
“TAFE Queensland helps people change their lives. As Queensland’s largest and most experienced provider of vocational education and targeted higher education, we deliver practical, high-quality training that supports jobs, economic growth, and social inclusion,” Mr Kinnane said.
“With around 400 qualifications and more than 60 locations across the State, we make it easier for students to succeed and for industry to access the skilled workforce it needs.
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/104339
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