The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has given the green light to implementing plans for the Digital Education Revolution and the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program – key parts of the Rudd Labor Government’s Education Revolution election commitments.

Funding for the first round of the $1 billion National Secondary School Computer Fund will start to be delivered to those schools most in need from June this year. And, successful applicants from the first round of the $2.5 billion Trade Training Centres in Schools Program also will be announced in June.

The Rudd Labor Government has set a national target to increase the proportion of students achieving Year 12 or an equivalent qualification to 85 per cent by 2015 and 90 per cent by 2020.

Better technology and better learning environments will encourage more young people to stay till Year 12 and enhance their skills at a time when Australia is facing a skills shortage.

These two programs are helping deliver some of the education hardware into schools that is needed to help deliver the historic productivity and participation agenda agreed to at today’s COAG meeting.

There has been an extremely positive response from schools to both programs, with all States and Territories reporting their schools are reacting enthusiastically.

The Catholic and Independent school sectors have also been very supportive of the programs.

In the two weeks since the programs were launched, over 850 schools have accessed the Australian Government schools entry point indicating their interest in applying for program funding.