TAFE Queensland today signed on as a Gold Coast 2018 Official Training Partner to deliver practical training to thousands of volunteers and support the delivery of the biggest sporting event in Australia this decade.

Queensland's Minister for Training and Skills Yvette D’Ath promised the State’s vocational education and training provider would help deliver a well-trained volunteer-force for the Games.

“Volunteers are the unsung heroes of major sporting events and provide support to athletes, officials, spectators and the Games workforce,” D’Ath said.

“They are the heart and soul of the Games and will be pivotal to its success and subsequent legacy.”

Commonwealth Games Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the partnership with TAFE Queensland would ensure the volunteer training for the Games was first-class.

“Just like our athletes who will be training and preparing for the sporting competition, our volunteers will be trained by TAFE Queensland to ensure they’re ‘Games-ready’,” he said.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of major events and they are crucial to the successful staging of the Games, which is why it is so important they are skilled up and well prepared to support the successful delivering of an event of this scale.

“All the friendly volunteers trained by TAFE Queensland will be ambassadors for our state and the perfect hosts to welcome the hordes of international and domestic visitors who will converge on the Coast for the Games.”

TAFE Queensland chief executive Jodi Schmidt hailed the vital role his organisation will play in the delivery of the Commonwealth Games, due to take place between April 4 and 15 

“It is widely recognised that events the size of the Commonwealth Games can only succeed with a well organised and highly trained team of volunteers," she said. 

“TAFE Queensland inspires growth and builds capability and transferrable skills that last a lifetime.

"We are confident our training of the volunteers will leave them with great abilities which will be a great legacy of our involvement with Gold Coast 2018.

“These volunteers will gain practical training in real world environments that will prepare them, not only for the Games, but also improve their employment prospects."

Gold Coast 2018 chairman Nigel Chamier AM he was delighted to welcome TAFE Queensland to the event's group of sponsors. 

“I know the training they will provide our volunteers will give them the confidence and practical tools they need to fulfil their roles and support the delivery of a great Games," he said.