Federation Training at Morwell will undergo a $35 million “transformation” but the future of the institution’s Yallourn campus could be in limbo following the upgrades to its Morwell counterpart.
The uncertain future for the Latrobe Valley’s longest-operating TAFE complex comes as the state government last week announced a $60.5 million commitment to boost two Federation Training TAFE facilities in Gippsland.
A second Federation Training campus will be built at the Port of Sale under a $25 million plan detailed in the Victorian budget to improve access to vocational education and training opportunities for people in the region.
The major funding announcement comes on the back of a key promise in the budget to make more than 30 TAFE and pre-apprenticeship courses free for prospective students across the state.
But speaking to media last week, Federation Training interim chief executive Grant Radford said the long-term future of the Yallourn campus was yet to be decided.
“The Yallourn campus will continue to operate as it is until the new facilities [at Morwell] will be built,” Mr Radford said.
“We’ll be looking at what are the courses and the delivery we need to maintain in the Yallourn/ Moe region going into the future and that will be part of the consultation process.
The upgrade of the Morwell campus is expected to be finished by 2021.
“The facilities are not fit for purpose. It’s changed in the way we operate and the way we deliver training since those facilities were built so we’re looking to get world-class modern facilities [so]that the students are getting the best outcomes and what industry is after,” Mr Radford said.
The Yallourn campus has operated since the mid-1970s.
Mr Radford said the Morwell campus would deliver market-leading training facilities in a world-class education hub for the region – next to the Gippsland Tech School in the Hi-Tech Precinct.
That campus is expected to be renamed the Latrobe Campus following its upgrade.
“We’ll work with the local industries and the local communities to identify what are the career courses and those courses that will have job outcomes,” Mr Radford said.
“Therefore we’ll be giving the youth and others of the community opportunities to make sure they’ve got employment … it’s all about jobs.”
Training and Skills Minister Gayle Tierney said the upgraded Morwell campus would reflect the region’s needs and wants in terms of future job opportunities.
“In terms of the jobs and courses that are available in this community, we are joining the dots,” Ms Tierney said.
“The upgrades will realign both [Morwell and Port of Sale] campuses with a business model focused on Gippsland’s primary industries.
“That is part of the policy change we are making, making sure we are informed of exactly what jobs are available and what industry needs.”
Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing said the funding would provide better access to training for Gippslanders to gain future employment.
“We’ve worked for so many years here in the Latrobe Valley and across Gippsland … to understand where the problems and challenges lay for technical education, skills and training and further education,” Ms Shing said.
“But this year’s budget and the announcement of around $60 million for capital improvements at the Port of Sale for a new Federation Training campus and $35.5 million for two centres involving trades as well as skills, training courses and other offerings is the start of an amazing new chapter for skills and training in Gippsland.”
