Building Better TAFES And Supporting Jobs And Businesses

The Victorian Government’s is continuing to build better TAFEs, unveiling dozens of upgrades to TAFEs across the state in a move that will create jobs and help drive Victoria’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney today announced every TAFE in Victoria will share in $55 million to carry out essential upgrades to learning facilities and amenities, as well as to re-fit and modernise existing learning spaces to adapt them to deliver more courses.

All Victorian TAFEs will share in the funding through the TAFE Asset Maintenance Fund, with projects to be delivered in Geelong, Gippsland, Mildura, Warrnambool, Wodonga, Shepparton, Seymour and metropolitan Melbourne.

30 projects across Victoria’s 12 TAFEs will be delivered through the package, including:

• $6.8 million to create state-of-the-art learning spaces for plumbing, carpentry and hospitality students at Chisholm Institute’s Trade Centre , and modernize its student support hub
• More than $5.5 million towards a new sustainable plumbing centre at Bendigo Kangan Institute’s Broadmeadows campus to help meet the high demand for plumbing skills
• $4.1 million to refurbish learning spaces at William Angliss Institute, including a new tram café for hospitality training. Another project will transform existing training facilities into culinary and pastry course learning space.
• $4 million to upgrade the commercial kitchen and restaurant at GOTAFE in Shepparton to support hospitality training, as well as a project to refurbish buildings at their Seymour campus.

This investment is on top of an additional $48.8 million available for asset maintenance through the Stronger TAFE fund.

The $55 million investment announced today is part of the $1.18 billion announced by the Government for critical education infrastructure projects for schools and early childhood to help drive the state’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government is giving Victorians the skills the state needs to respond to the pandemic and prepare for recovery. An extra 18,000 Victorians will be able to train at TAFEs and Learn Locals under a $163 million package of new measures, which includes an expansion of Government’s signature Free TAFE program to prepare the state’s economic recovery from the Coronavirus crisis.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney

“These projects will deliver better facilities for students and staff, and support jobs and local businesses through the pandemic.”

“We’ve rebuilt TAFE and investing to make it even better, because giving Victorians the skills and training they need will be critical to our economic recovery.”

“Every TAFE in the state will share in funding to deliver these critical upgrades and ensure students can access high-quality local TAFEs.”