The first of three NSW TAFE centres of excellence is a step closer with a joint funding package secured to deliver "enormous opportunities" for Australian manufacturing.
The federal and NSW governments will split a $54 million investment in the western Sydney TAFE campus at Wetherill Park so it can deliver advanced training across the renewable energy, transport and engineering sectors.
NSW Premier Chris Minns pledged on the 2023 election trail to upgrade the three centres and get free training for 1000 apprentices a year.
Announcing the funding on Thursday, Mr Minns said the campuses should be seen as a "big and bold offer" to high school students to consider a trade certificate.
"Give you access to modern machinery, ensure any employer in the entire country will employ you just like that, and it's something that no one can ever take off you," he said.
"We've got enormous opportunities for new jobs in manufacturing, particularly in western Sydney, but the area we've been let down over the last 10 years is not having enough education or training centres."
Cutting-edge equipment and technology like 3D printing and robotic manufacturing will be available at the centre.
It is also designed to be able to quickly respond to emerging technological trends.
The cash splashed by the federal government is part of its $325 national skills agreement, which is set to build 20 centres of excellence nationwide.
Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles said the investment showed the government's "bold vision of our national future".
"We need to tell Australians young and old that nearly half of the jobs of the future require vocational qualifications, and so many of them rest on governments working together to support TAFE," he said.
"It's about enabling more Australians to be part of a future made in Australia, obtaining … a passport to a good job and a good life."
