Apprentices at TAFE NSW Wetherill Park are to benefit from a $2.5 million upgrade to the campus training facilities in support of the state’s growing freight and transport industries.
The Minns government said the investment comes as road freight demand is projected to grow by almost 80 per cent by 2050, increasing demand for the specialist workers who build, maintain and repair trucks, trailers, and buses.
The upgrades will deliver a new covered outdoor learning area to support hands-on training for vehicle manufacturing apprentices, as well as upgrades to the campus’ engineering grinding room.
The outdoor learning area will provide dedicated space for practical training involving heavy vehicle dismantling and assembly, while engineering upgrades will include new industry-compliant extraction systems and safety improvements.
The investment supports a specialist workforce at a time when almost half of Australia’s vehicle body builders are aged 45 and over, highlighting the importance of training the next generation of skilled tradespeople.
Apprentices will also be supported to upskill in emerging transport technologies through a collaboration between TAFE NSW and clean energy company Pure One, which has offered a hydrogen-powered electric prime mover truck valued at $780,000 for educational purposes.
The truck will give students exposure to next-generation heavy vehicle technology and demonstrate how hydrogen can be used as a zero-emissions energy source alongside battery electric and conventional vehicle systems.
The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) welcomed the investment, saying it is particularly important for Western Sydney, one of Australia’s most significant freight, logistics, manufacturing, and employment regions.
“Western Sydney sits at the centre of many of the state’s most important freight movements. It is home to major distribution centres, industrial precincts, transport operations, and Western Sydney Airport,” said ALC CEO Dr Hermione Parsons.
“Training local workers close to these freight and industrial precincts is good workforce policy and good economic policy.”
Construction of the outdoor learning area is expected to commence mid-2026 with engineering upgrades scheduled for completion in 2027.
The investment builds on the Minns Labor Government’s $54 million backing of the TAFE NSW Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence – Western Sydney at Wetherill Park, strengthening the campus’ role in delivering the skilled workforce needed by manufacturing, engineering and transport industries.