New centre for automotive and construction training
Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney visited South West TAFE’s Sherwood Park campus in Warrnambool to officially mark the beginning of construction work on the new Building Innovation and Design Centre.
The centre will have large automotive workshops, including a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) training workshop, along with flexible classroom spaces for more automotive, building and construction students.
Minister Tierney said South West TAFE’s new Building Innovation and Design Centre would train and upskill workers in modern technologies, providing more tradies in regional Victoria who could help meet the Government’s clean energy targets.
“Victoria’s transition to a renewable economy is creating thousands of jobs – we’re taking action and investing in TAFE to build the skilled workforce we need for a more sustainable future,” she said.
The Government is investing $11.35 million into the project, including $5 million through the TAFE Clean Energy Fund, to upgrade and expand the TAFE’s building and construction training facilities and relocate automotive training into new fit-for-purpose facilities at the Sherwood Park campus.
The Building Innovation and Design Centre is expected to be ready for students to begin training next year.
South West TAFE CEO Mark Fidge said: “The project brings new opportunities for our trade students by providing access to industry leading facilities and equips our region with the skilled tradespeople essential for our future growth.”
The Victorian Government has set world-leading targets to transition to 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035 and achieve net zero by 2045.
The move to a renewable economy is expected to create 10,000 new jobs each year from now until 2030 and transform more than 500,000 existing jobs through new skills training.
Victoria’s TAFE network is central to creating this future workforce and is already a lead player in Victoria’s transformation to the clean economy.
Investing in TAFEs to train and upskill workers in modern construction and automotive technologies ensures we can meet our housing and clean energy targets.
We’re continuing to invest in TAFE to ensure students have the best facilities to train in, closer to home. This includes a Centre of Excellence in Disability Inclusion at The Gordon in Geelong as well as two new Kangan Institute campuses in Melton and Sunbury and a Bendigo TAFE Learning Hub in Castlemaine.
