Education in the Auslan skillset is set to benefit from investment in a new virtual specialist delivery space at Dubbo, the first of its kind in the state.
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TAFE Dubbo's Specialist Auslan Teacher Connected Learning Point will be operational from semester two.
Auslan is short for Australian sign language, a language developed by, and for, Australians who are deaf or hearing impaired.
Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens and Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders were at TAFE's Myall Street campus on Wednesday.
They viewed the custom-built technology and accessibility software designed to respond to the specific practical training needs of Auslan teachers and the learning needs of students.
Once it kicks off, the specialist facility will deliver the Auslan skillset across 20 TAFE Connected Learning Centres in NSW, which the government says will provide critical pathways into further qualifications and career opportunities.
"The new equipment will ensure students graduate with the confidence and practical knowledge to begin work immediately, while the new specialist Auslan teaching facility represents a new way of providing signing skills to learners across the state," Mr Saunders said.
"Our local TAFE is crucial in ensuring people have the skills to future-proof our workforce and help the Orana economy bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic."
Mr Henskens said the pandemic had accelerated the delivery of online teaching, and the government had invested heavily across the state.
"TAFE this year has $251 million in capital improvements on top of $260 million in the previous year," he said.
"So we've really been accelerating our Connected Learning Centres and our Connected Teaching Points all around the state, so whether you're in a regional area, or whether you're in a metropolitan area, you can get the skills you need for the jobs you want."
Mr Henskens says in the "past two or three years" it has been seen how "incredibly important it is to have Auslan interpreters helping all of our community in times of crisis".
He said to be able to teach Auslan from Dubbo all around the state so that it was "not reliant upon a face-to-face teaching method" was incredibly important.
"I think this really highlights some of the great investment in regional areas that has TAFE has been engaging in," he said.
"We've now got these specialist teaching points all around the state and students can learn all around the state.
"They can receive that interconnected learning.
"So this is a really important moment I think that we're starting these specialist teaching centres, and it's a great moment for Dubbo."
In a second win for TAFE, the next generation of shearers and wool handlers are mastering the latest industry techniques thanks to new state-of-the-art training equipment at Dubbo.
A $45,000 investment has delivered five new shearing machines and a wool press for the state's leading training grounds, the government reports.
Mr Henskens and Mr Saunders visited the rural skills campus on the city's western outskirts on Wednesday where the plant was getting a workout.
"This new equipment will not only set future shearers and wool handlers up for success with the latest skills but will help meet a surge in industry demand," Mr Henskens said.
"Shearer numbers have fallen by up to 30 per cent over the past decade, with factors such as drought and border closures heightening workforce challenges.
"The NSW government is committed to delivering a new generation of workers that can bolster the future labour needs of industries across regional NSW and this investment is part of that plan."
