Last week, Bendigo TAFE acting chief executive Peter Coyne confirmed he was in the later stages of talks with Melbourne's Kangan Institute about a possible merger.

"Does this mean that Bendigo TAFE will suddenly just be an outpost of the Kangan Institute?" Ms Edwards said.

"I was out at Kangaroo Flat on Saturday morning doing a listening post and a number of people approached me and specifically mentioned their concern about Bendigo TAFE losing its identity.

"We really don't know what the future of Bendigo TAFE is because of this talk of a takeover.

"The community of Bendigo at least deserve to have a say about what the future of their Bendigo TAFE might be."

Ms Edwards said Bendigo TAFE was part of the city's identity and something worth fighting for.

“(Member for Bendigo East) Jacinta Allan and I will be seeking urgent discussion with the City of Greater Bendigo and we'll be urging them to join with us to fight this Melbourne takeover,” Ms Edwards said.

Ms Allan said the community deserved to be better informed about the situation.

“I believe in Bendigo and its institutions," she said.

"Bendigo TAFE and the School of Mines have been around for 160 years ... the Bendigo community has not been privy to these discussions, nor consulted about the impact of losing its own TAFE institute."

Mr Coyne maintained last week the merger was not yet a done deal.

"We're really looking to the future though and, for us, it really is about quality offerings to the students of regional Victoria," he said.

"The last thing we want to be is a small, struggling local provider. We want to be strong ... really focused on quality education."