Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has officially unveiled a huge $60 million redevelopment of Bendigo TAFE.
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Mr Andrews visited Bendigo today to officially open the project which includes two new buildings, refurbished heritage buildings and the relocation of the Bendigo Technical Education Campus to the CBD.
"The redevelopment of Bendigo TAFE is a game changer for local students, giving them better access to our world-class TAFE system close to home," he said.
"There has been some terrible damage done to this sector. Courses gone, fees increased for the courses that remain, staff sacked - there was a real sense of jeopardy and uncertainty for these institutes.
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"If you have a strong TAFE system, you can meet those challenges and turn them into the opportunities we know they can be."
Mr Andrews commended the efforts of the Greater Bendigo community as it worked to upgrade a number of buildings around the city.
"A lot of the smaller communities look up to large regional centres like Bendigo and we want this city to be thriving because that means the whole state is thriving," the Premier said.
"The amount of work, construction, energy, jobs and momentum here, despite all the challenges faced, is testament to our partnership with the council and institutes like this TAFE."
The new campus includes a new learning hub, a one-stop shop for student training and job support, an Indigenous Education Centre and modern flexible teaching spaces where students can connect with industry and community.
The works have also opened the campus to the public, with better access to the TAFE restaurant and hair and beauty salon, giving students hands on experience to hone their skills in their chosen fields.
The campus will open to students from 2022 with courses including health and community services, Indigenous support studies, business, hospitality and tourism, education, hair and beauty, creative industries and IT.
Bendigo TAFE chief executive Sally Curtain said the refreshed campus embraced the institution's rich history in the community and its continued vision to train and skill a workforce for the future.
"This campus has been a vibrant feature in the heart of Bendigo city for 167 years," she said.
"Thanks to funding from the state government, we are proud to deliver an improved educational precinct that continues to embrace its strong heritage in Bendigo city, while providing state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose facilities to train the workforce of tomorrow."
The redevelopment was designed by Architectus with Six Degrees Architects - led by a Bendigo TAFE graduate.
Construction was undertaken by Kane Nicholson Joint Venture and created 800 local jobs, including many local TAFE graduates as well as 13 apprentices from Bendigo TAFE who helped build their campus while studying.
While at the opening today, Mr Andrews was met with some opposition from a group of protesters.
The small group gathered to protest the new public health and wellbeing bill.
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