New student, disability hub promised for The Gordon

LABOR would invest at least $30 million for a redevelopment of Geelong’s The Gordon TAFE if it retains power beyond this month as part of a major investment into campuses across Victoria.

It would also expand a free TAFE program to make selected courses open to all prospective students in a bid to provide more job-ready trainees for critical sectors.

Daniel Andrews announced this week that his government would invest between $30 million-$36 million towards the Gordon’s disability services hub and a redevelopment of the student hub if it is successful at next week’s state election.

The Gordon’s student hub is based at its city campus at Gordon Avenue, while its campuses provide support for students with a disability such as academic support workers, links to relevant external agencies and accessibility advice.

The investment is part of a $170 million commitment to build new or improved TAFE campuses across the state.

The package includes a $50 million “clean energy fund” that would train apprentices to work for the State Electricity Commission, which Mr Andrews announced earlier in the campaign that Labor would re-introduce if elected.

“From the Big Build to our transformation of kinder education, there’s huge demand for a highly-skilled workforce – only Labor is making sure every Victorian can get the skills they need for the job they want.

“We’re doing what matters for Victorians – building and upgrading TAFE campuses in every corner of our state, making more courses free and supporting people to upskill or make a mid-career change to a great new job.”

Labor would also relax entry requirements to a free TAFE program that it first introduced in 2019, which has waived close to $300 million in fees for 120,000 students since starting.

Students had previously only been allowed to access the scheme once, but the change would allow graduates to re-enrol in a different field for a career change or to upskill.

The free TAFE initiative covers a range of courses in priority fields such as education, health and construction.