Registrations are now open for the NSW Government's Dine and Discover initiative and I'm really encouraging businesses to jump on board this great program.
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The program provides four $25 vouchers for every NSW resident over 18 - two to spend on dining and two to spend on experiences. That means there's more than $5.6 million going into the pockets of Dubbo electorate residents alone. But only registered businesses will be able to take advantage of this stimulus package.
For more information, and to find out if your business is eligible, go to https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-business-dine-discover-nsw
And if you have a local business that you want to be able to support with this program - tell them to register.
The program has already been trialled at The Rocks in Sydney and Broken Hill, with a pilot now underway in Bega and Sydney's Northern Beaches. The program will be rolled out statewide in March - which is not too far away, so make sure to register soon.
Heartfelt thanks
Last year our teachers went above and beyond to support their students.
This required them to learn rapidly on the job so that they could continue to deliver education during the learning from home period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a thank you, the NSW Government has announced that all teachers maintaining accreditation will receive a one-off credit of five hours toward the 100 hours of professional development that they are required to complete every five years.
A huge thank you to all of the teachers, support staff and principals for putting professional learning front and centre to create entirely new ways of teaching and supporting the wellbeing of students.
For more information, visit the NESA website at https://www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/teacher-accreditation/meeting-requirements/maintaining-accreditation
New courses available
Real estate, robotics and social media are just some of the 20 new Vocational Education and Training courses that will be made available to Year 11 and 12 students in public schools from next year.
These courses will help students build skills across emerging industries, including advanced manufacturing, technology and engineering.
These courses will form part of their Higher School Certificate and will contribute to their ATAR. These are exciting areas for young people to be studying and puts them in the best place to find a job in dynamic industries, helping to build a safer and stronger regional NSW.
We know that our regions are struggling to find the skilled workers we need to grow our businesses to their full potential. Making vocational training more accessible and attractive for our kids is just one of the ways we are working to address this shortage.