Bendigo’s two state MPs, Jacinta Allan and Maree Edwards, made the announcement at the La Trobe University campus on Tuesday morning.

Unlike previous technical school incarnations, the new facility will host students from existing colleges and focus on science, technology, engineering and maths, with the curriculum to reflect the city’s emerging economies.

“The curriculum will be developed here in Bendigo, that builds on our strengths, and that’s why the focus of the Bendigo tech will be in that area of health, engineering and mathematics,” Ms Allan said.

“Really looking at where are the jobs of Bendigo’s future going to be and providing the training and education opportunities for young people to help them get there.”

Marist College Bendigo principal Darren McGregor said the school – dubbed the Bendigo Innovation Technology Experience – would complement students’ current studies.

“One of the really exciting things about this is that it’s not a stand-alone facility, that we will integrate it into the curriculum of all the schools,” he said.

“We would hope that students from different schools are sitting in the same classroom at BITE, having the same experiences and sharing their thoughts and ideas and inspiring each other to move forward.”

Australian Industry Group regional manager Jim Dannock said the school would provide students with linkages to local industry, helping to drive jobs growth in the area.

“Industry’s been very involved in the development of the tech school here in Bendigo, and certainly from our point of view we’re really keen to encourage young people to look for the STEM skilled jobs for the future,” he said.

“Our research has shown that there’s one-and-a-half times the jobs growth in the STEM area that there is in other areas so it does provide a  great opportunity for young people.

“But I think the other great thing about the tech school will be the opportunity of encouraging, right down to the year 7 level, for young people to pursue their careers.”

Bendigo South East College principal Ernie Flemming said the new facility would be a good fit with his school’s priorities.

“Education done the industrial way is no longer relevant, so having education that goes outside the school fence line, and interacts with real work and has what students do as real work, I think is the way of the future,” he said.

Ms Edwards said funding for the new school had been allocated in last year’s budget and that money would go towards construction of a new building to house the facility.

“Now that we’ve announced the site, the task force will be working with the architect around what the tech school building will actually look like,” she said.

“We’ll also be working towards curriculum development which is still to be decided and also some governance arrangements that need to be worked out.”

Tomorrow’s state budget is expected to include $24 million over four years for running costs for the Bendigo school and nine others across the state.