The NSW Government is investing $11.6m over four years to expand a program connecting public high school students to trades and vocational careers.
The Educational Pathways Program (EPP) will grow to 207 schools from next year, up from 183, reaching an extra 7,500 students annually, according to the state government.
The expansion sits within the Minns Labor Government’s $3.46bn commitment to skills, training and TAFE NSW under the 2026-27 Budget. This is part of a record investment in skills, training and TAFE NSW, aimed at rebuilding vocational education and supplying skilled workers for housing, infrastructure and clean energy projects.
Funding follows workforce shortage data
The investment lands as employer surveys point to a persistent skills gap across the state. Business NSW’s 2026 State of Skills report found that 73.6% of employers statewide reported skills shortages, with half expecting the shortfall to cost them customers or commercial opportunities. The report is based on responses from more than 500 businesses.
The figure marks a decline from the post-pandemic peak but remains well above pre-pandemic levels, with the 2026 rate sitting well above levels reported before the pandemic. Regional areas are feeling the pressure more acutely. Hunter businesses reported a 75.4% shortage rate, above the state average.
The EPP began as a pilot in 2020 with 24 schools before expanding to its current 183-school footprint across 11 regions. The new funding will add schools in the Central West and Orana, Camden, southern NSW and south-west Sydney regions.
Minister ties expansion to regional access
NSW minister for skills, TAFE and tertiary education Steve Whan linked the announcement, made during National Skills Week, to broader workforce goals.
“We’re backing our commitment to build the skilled workforce our state needs,” Whan said, adding the program aims to help students “regardless of their location.”
Whan said the program was designed around varied post-school outcomes. “Not every student wants to follow the same path after school,” he said.
He noted several available routes, including apprenticeships and TAFE study. “We want young people to know the opportunities are there,” Whan said. Those pathways, he said, lead to jobs “in key industries like construction, clean energy, agriculture and manufacturing.”
Whan connected the funding directly to project delivery timelines. “It’s critical we have enough skilled workers in the pipeline,” he said, “and this $11.6 million boost will help with exactly that.”
The EPP aims to connect students with industry-based learning, career guidance and access to vocational education pathways, including school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.