TAFE upgrade is a "game changer"

A $6.25 million upgrade of TAFE Gippsland's Warragul campus has delivered state of the art learning facilities, particularly for nursing and aged care students.

Nursing students now have access to clinical settings, replicating a hospital ward, where they acquire hands on experience to compliment their studies.
The Warragul campus redevelopment was officially opened by Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing who said the redevelopment was a "game changer" that gave local students opportunities for training and careers closer to home.
The campus has undergone a major rebuild at its eastern end to create new learning spaces as well as significant improvements and refurbishment of the original campus.
The project included a new campus entrance, fit-for-purpose flexible training spaces with multipurpose teaching areas, two healthcare simulation laboratories, an early childhood training area and refurbished staff areas.
Students now have access to world-class equipment including mannequins for simulated patient care, digital learning technology and early childhood tools.
Ms Shing said there had been a 17 per cent increase in enrolments across TAFE Gippsland with students taking up the offer for free TAFE courses.
"That leads directly to jobs and careers. These facilities aren't only keeping pace with that learning but they are also enhancing it.
Ms Shing said seeing a room full of women in the nurse training area who were having a change of career, looking at entering the paid workforce or reskilling was really exciting.
"Every single student enrolled is a free student and that matters because it means there is an entry point to studying that previously may not have been accessible," she said.
For Diploma of Nursing student Jess parker, the new facilities give her the confidence that her learning and hands-on training will prepare her for hospital settings.
Ms Parker began her diploma in the old Warragul campus building, where they had to share outdated facilities with aged care students.
"I think this setting will make placement a lot easier because we've had a clinical setting to learn in so we are familiar with the equipment used in hospitals," she said.
TAFE Gippsland chief executive officer Grant Radford said the refurbishment and expansion had been four years in the making and the transformation to the Warragul campus was great.
He said the Warragul campus was previously at a 180 per cent utilisation rate. "There was a lot of people, a lot of activity and not enough staff meeting areas. We now have fantastic, flexible meeting spaces.
"The world class nursing area offers the best of training in the best of places and we can now offer early childhood training," he said.
Mr Radford said the Warragul campus learning facilities and staff spaces were significantly improved as a result of the $6.25 million project.
"Our vocational students and staff now have access to new and high-quality learning spaces, enhanced accommodation and better facilities as a result of the significant investment by TAFE Gippsland and the Victorian Government."
"Warragul campus is now offering an improved student learning experience in this important outer peri-urban corridor in West Gippsland, and this campus along with our Skills Centre are focused on the types of vocational training that match a range of local industry disciplines and business needs," Mr Radford said.
TAFE Gippsland recorded almost 2000 free TAFE enrolments at the end of June last year, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year. Among the most popular courses offered by TAFE Gippsland is Early Childhood Education and Care, with enrolments almost tripling since free TAFE began in 2019.
The works were undertaken by Becon Constructions including 20 local workers.