The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
FutureReady Belconnen: Opening Doors, Building Futures
Opening of the MTC FutureReady Skills for Education and Employment Training Centre
Belconnen, ACT
13 February 2026
We gather today on Ngunnawal Country, and I pay my respects to Elders past and present.
It is a real pleasure to be here for the opening of the MTC FutureReady Skills for Education and Employment training centre in Belconnen.
At its heart, this centre is about something simple and powerful: giving people the tools to move forward. When someone strengthens their English, builds their digital skills, sharpens their numeracy, or returns to learning after time away, doors open.
The Australian Government’s SEE program rests on a clear idea: when people gain strong foundational skills, everyone benefits. Employers gain capable workers. Communities grow stronger. Individuals discover abilities that carry them further than they imagined.
Across the ACT, thousands have already stepped forward through Free TAFE and related programs. Yet numbers only tell part of the story, so let me share two that bring the impact to life.
Caitlin is a single mum and a Navy veteran from just outside Canberra. She recently completed a Free TAFE nursing course. That training launched her into a new career while easing the household budget and freeing up funds for her son’s after-school activities. It is a story about determination, about backing yourself, and about showing the next generation what perseverance looks like.
Then there is Brandon, now working in his dream field of Early Childhood Education. He once weighed up the cost of switching careers before discovering Free TAFE and the doors it opened. Today he spends his days helping young children learn and grow – a job that calls for patience, creativity, energy, and occasionally the ability to locate a missing shoe within thirty seconds.
Centres such as this one help turn ‘what if’ into ‘what’s next?’
They also help tackle one of the country’s practical challenges: building the workforce we need. In the ACT alone, more than 170 apprentices have begun housing construction pathways in recent months, learning trades that quite literally put roofs over people’s heads. Electricians, carpenters, plumbers, glaziers – the people we rely on when the power flickers, the tap leaks, the door jams, or the rain decides it would rather be inside than out.
What I admire about this centre is its optimism. It starts from the belief that potential is everywhere – in every suburb, every family, every stage of life. Some learners arrive seeking their first job. Others come ready for a fresh start. Many simply want the chance to build new skills and create new opportunities.
To the staff and trainers: thank you for the expertise, care and encouragement you bring each day. Great training changes lives, and your work strengthens this community in ways that will ripple outward for years.
To the learners who will walk through these doors: you belong here. Every new skill gained is a step toward greater independence and choice. Skills bring more than a pay packet; they bring confidence, stability, and the freedom to plan ahead.
And to our partners in the ACT government and the community: progress of this kind always rests on collaboration.
Years from now, many Canberrans will trace their career beginnings back to rooms inside this building. They will remember the person who encouraged them, the moment something new made sense, the day they realised they were ready for the next step.
Congratulations to everyone involved. I look forward to hearing many more success stories that begin right here in Belconnen – stories of courage, effort, opportunity, and possibility.
Ends