Establishment of new department (DEVET)

Western Australia's future education and training will be shaped by a new super department which comes into being today.

Education, Employment and Training Minister Kay Hallahan said the Departments of TAFE and Employment and Training had been combined to form the new Department of Employment, Vocational Education and Training (DEVET).

Mrs Hallahan said DEVET would provide Western Australians with opportunities to acquire skills which would lead to rewarding, secure jobs.

"The amalgamation of the two departments eliminates wasteful duplication and allows more funds to be diverted away from administration to course delivery," she said.

The Minister said the changes meant the head office of TAFE would be abolished, but technical colleges throughout the State would still be known as TAFE Colleges.

She said DEVET, to be headed by former Corrective Services Department chief Ian Hill, would have an operating budget of $150 million and 3,300 staff.