- Published:
- Friday 14 October 2016
Students in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs are a step closer to having a high tech, innovation hub for learning with work starting on the new Yarra Ranges Tech School.
Minister for Education James Merlino and Member for Eastern Victoria Daniel Mulino today visited Box Hill Institute’s Lilydale Lakeside campus, where the new Tech School will be located, to mark the start of construction.
Students from 18 local secondary schools will learn science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at the Tech School, which will house a high-tech robotics lab, virtual reality rooms and fabrication labs.
The focus will be on precision manufacturing, medical robotics, sustainability and renewables, bio technology, food and fibre – equipping students with the skills they need for high tech jobs today and into the future.
Box Hill Institute’s Lilydale Lakeside campus has strong ties to industry and employers, giving students crucial insight into employment skills and pathways into education, training and employment.
Classes will be delivered in partnership with Deakin University and William Angliss Institute, with work expected to be completed by January 2017.
Yarra Ranges Tech School is one of ten new Tech Schools to be built under the Andrews Labor Government’s $128 million Tech School Initiative, which will help build skills in science, technology, engineering and maths.
The Labor Government has set targets to boost performance in these subjects as part of its plan to make Victoria the Education State, including a 25 per cent increase in the number of Year 9 students reaching the highest level of achievement in maths and 33 per cent more 15-year-olds reaching the highest levels in science.
For more information on Tech Schools, visit www.techschools.education.vic.gov.au.
Quote attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“A Tech School is not a traditional school – it’s a shared campus for local secondary schools that is equipped with leading edge technology to provide students a new type of learning environment as part of their enrolment at their local secondary school.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert
“The former Coalition Government closed the Lilydale Lakeside campus leaving a huge gap in skills and training in Melbourne’s outer east - we’ve not only re-opened the TAFE campus, we’re expanding it to include the new Yarra Ranges Tech Schools so students can learn high tech job skills from a younger age.”
Quote attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Daniel Mulino
“The Yarra Ranges Tech School will provide students from 18 surrounding secondary schools the opportunity to develop the skills they need in science, technology, engineering and maths for the high tech jobs of the future.”