The NSW Government has announced another 440 apprentice and trainee jobs, passing the halfway mark of the planned 1000 new positions by 2026. Photo: NSW Health.
Four hundred and forty apprentice and trainee government positions will be opening up across 67 government agencies and state-owned corporations over the next year.
The NSW Government will fund the positions across 200 regions with a $93.5 million investment that aims to address statewide skill shortages.
Sectors including information technology, health and electricity distribution have been touted as the main focuses of the scheme with agencies such as Sydney Trains, Essential Energy, NSW Department of Education and NSW Health Pathology leading in employing apprentices since the first positions were made available.
A further 340 positions are reportedly becoming available in the 2025-26 financial year and will round out the 1000 apprentice and trainee positions promised by NSW Premier Chris Minns in the lead-up to the 2023 NSW election.
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan said this announcement, which coincided with National Skills Week, underscored the vital work that skills development and vocational training played in shaping the state’s workforce.
“Last year’s investment has facilitated the creation of hundreds of roles across 31 agencies, including key players like NSW Health Pathology,” he said.
“Through the 1000 apprentices and trainees program we are building skills capacity across our government agencies and offering opportunities for young people to gain formal qualifications.
“This is just another example of how the State Government is directly tackling the skills shortage by investing in and training the next generation of workers.”
Minister for Health Ryan Park said the State Government was committed to providing people with valuable training and careers in the public sector to further develop careers and address shortages.
“This next round of apprentice and trainee roles will see more than 100 people enter the NSW Pathology workforce across the state,” he said.
“NSW Pathology is an incredible place to work, with plenty of rewarding challenges and opportunities and I really welcome this program.”
One of the benefactors of the initiative is Jaime Reyes. Mr Reyes began working at NSW Pathology in 2023 and has since gained full-time work with no prior training.
“Prior to working with NSW Pathology as a trainee, my only knowledge of what blood collectors did was that they collected blood for my local GP. I am now learning there is a lot more to the job, and it is about working with people and making sure they feel comfortable,” he said.
“To be able to build relationships where people can see me as someone who is empathetic and help them through getting their blood collection done, this was someone that I want to be.”
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