Minister for Skills John Barilaro has welcomed the initiative that offers 25,000 scholarships to students around NSW during his visit to Port Macquarie TAFE today.

The scholarships are part of the Jobs for Tomorrow program that encourages more vocational education and training (VET) students to enrol in and complete courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, (STEM).

"The NSW economy is growing rapidly and we are focused on educating a highly skilled workforce for the jobs of tomorrow," Mr Barilaro said.

"We are delivering on our pre-election commitment to create 150,000 jobs in NSW by making it easier for students to get the skills employers want."

Students training in science, technology, engineering or maths-related courses through Smart and Skilled are eligible for a $1,000 "Jobs of Tomorrow" scholarship.

As part of the program, new industry partnerships will help connect STEM students to relevant work and networking opportunities during their training, while helping people already working in these fields enrol for additional STEM studies.

"The addition of this industry partnership program means employers will be able to support students during training - through networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities and work experience," Mr Barilaro said.

Almost 70 qualifications at Certificate IV and above are eligible for the scholarships, while current industry partners include the NSW Business Chamber, the Association of Consulting Surveyors, the Australian Computer Society Foundation and the Australian Industry Group.

Contact: John Morrison