The University of Newcastle has been allocated 967 additional university places to train more teachers, nurses and engineers.
The federal government will inject more than $28 million for the additional university places to train Australians underrepresented at university in areas of determined skills need.
It will provide extra places for people studying bachelor and sub-bachelor courses in areas such as education, nursing, health, IT and engineering.
It comes after the Albanese Government committed to provide 20,000 extra university places.
The 20,000 additional places will be allocated to students under-represented at Australian universities including those from poorer backgrounds, Indigenous Australians and students from rural and remote Australia.
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said the additional 967 places "will open doors for students who might otherwise feel excluded from higher education".
Across the country, higher education providers have been allocated places in the following areas:
- 4,036 places in education, including 1,469 for teachers in early education
- 2,600 places in nursing
- 2,275 in IT
- 2,740 in health professions like pharmacists, health science and community health
- 1,738 in engineering.
The remaining courses will be offered in other areas of skills shortage.
The additional places across the country will be for students starting next year and in 2024 with an investment of up to $485.5 million across the next four years.
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