Bayview Secondary College students will gain access to new hospitality, horticulture and tourism pathways through a $2.5 million upgrade aimed at boosting engagement and creating links to future careers.
The Beyond the Plate project will see a $1.5 million Tasmanian Government investment transform an existing workshop at the school into a commercial kitchen, dining space and training facilities.
The Tasmanian Community Fund is also contributing $1 million towards the project at the Clarendon Vale school, which is designed to improve student engagement, increase attendance and create pathways into employment and further education beyond Year 12.
From 2027, students will be able to undertake three new VET courses – Certificate II in Horticulture, Certificate II in Tourism and Certificate II in Hospitality.
Additional VET pathways are planned for 2028 and beyond.
The broader program will include seed-to-stomach initiatives, a native plant nursery, bushfoods education and enterprise learning connected to real-world industries.
Education Minister Jo Palmer said the investment would give students practical skills in industries Tasmania needs.
“We know that this is a great opportunity for kids to be even further engaged in their education, to want to be coming to school to be learning these trades that we know they have great aspirations for,” she said.
“We want to have young people going, ‘I want to work in horticulture, I want to work in the hospitality industry’.”
Bayview Secondary College principal Gill Berriman said the school had been planning for the program for years.
“We’ve got a real, real growth at Bayview Secondary College in our 11-12 area, so it was important for us to provide subjects that they can actually want to stay and do, particularly in the growth areas in industry around the state,” she said.
She said the project would deliver a commercial kitchen, dining spaces, a laboratory and classroom facilities for environmental learning.
Year 10 student Riley Morgan said the upgrade would create new opportunities for students.
“It’s bringing a Cert II Horticulture thing and it’s given me the chance to become a horticultural landscaper and obviously just improve my skills,” he said.
Morgan said his interest was sparked in Year 8 when he started gardening at the school.
The focus on horticulture comes as the state government moves to reassure backyard growers and small-scale producers they will not be affected by proposed new produce safety regulations.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has confirmed home growers would face no fees, audits or accreditation requirements under draft produce safety rules.
Facility upgrades at Bayview are expected to be complete for the 2027 school year.
