FedUni to benefit from TAFE pledge

More power: Primer Daniel Andrews was in Ballarat on Monday promising $6 million to expand Federation University’s renewable energy training centre. Photo: LUIS ASCUI/AAP IMAGE

THE State election campaign rolled back into Ballarat on Monday with Premier Daniel Andrews using Federation University’s Mount Helen campus as a backdrop for a pledge to make TAFE education free.

FedUni was used in the pitch because of the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre.

As part of Labor’s commitment, a new Clean Energy TAFE Fund would be created with the aim of furthering education and training opportunities around wind, solar and other renewable energy technologies.

That would include a $6 million spend on stage two of the APRETC.

“We’re creating 59,000 jobs in clean energy,” said Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Lily D’Ambrosio.

“We will make sure at least 6000 of those jobs are apprentices and trainees, so we’re getting our TAFEs ready to train them.”

FedUni was one of three TAFEs to receive money as part of the the Clean Energy Fund promise.

The APRETC at Mount Helen was opened in 2021 and includes a model wind turbine where students can learn to maintain and navigate the structures.

Stage two of the project would see a new education centre constructed at the site.

“We welcome the announcement from the Premier today as it recognises the growing demand for renewable energy workers and the role that the education sector has in transitioning the state to a clean energy future,” said Federation University vice-chancellor and president Professor Duncan Bentley.

“The demand for renewable energy technicians is set to rise dramatically and the expansion of our APRETC facility, the first of its kind in Australia, will allow Federation to train local technicians to meet the skill demands of our state’s energy providers.

“The expansion of APRETC is the latest example of Federation’s co-operative education model, where we collaborate with local employers and industry to develop a pipeline of highly skilled graduates to support the needs of emerging sectors.”

As part of Labor’s the statewide TAFE pledge an extra two million Victorians are expected to become eligible for the free course under the changes.

Currently a number of TAFE courses in short staffed sectors are already offered for free.

The Government would also spend up to $170 million to build new TAFE campuses at Sunbury and Melton and improve existing sites across the state.