A new student residence has opened at TasTAFE’s Burnie campus, with room for up to 25 apprentices and students travelling from regional and remote areas to train.
The facility is part of the Clean Energy TAFE Centre of Excellence on the campus, backed by a $26.4 million joint investment from the federal and state governments under the National Skills Agreement.
The centre delivers hands-on training in wind generation and hydro pump technology and is one of 20 TAFE Centres of Excellence announced nationally.
Federal Braddon MP Anne Urquhart said the accommodation had already been used for about 482 nights since it became available.
“For many students from regional communities, access to affordable accommodation can be the difference between pursuing training opportunities or missing out,” she said.
TasTAFE Chief Executive Norman Baker said students would live in the rooms while they came in for block release training.
“We know that this region is growing rapidly with green energy opportunities, agricultural opportunities, as well as mining opportunities,” he said.
Federal Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles said Free TAFE had removed cost pressures for many students.
“But cost isn’t the only barrier, particularly in a state like Tasmania, which is very decentralised,” he said.
Skills and Jobs Minister Felix Ellis said apprentices came from across the north-west and West Coast.
“They might be in the mines on the West Coast,” he said.
“They might be as part of the north-west transmission developments, farms in Circular Head or opportunities on King Island.”
Asked how TasTAFE would continue to grow opportunities in Burnie while finding $45 million in savings over the next few years, Ellis said “it’s important that we continue to be financially sustainable.”
“There’s opportunities to make savings on the back end while we continue to invest on these services that are so important for people,” he said.
Asked whether workers would have anywhere to live given the north-west’s low rental vacancy rate, Ellis said: “We need to build more on the north-west coast.”
