The South Australian government announced that construction is underway on the multi-million-dollar Findon Technical College, a key Malinauskas Labor Government commitment, that will focus on advanced manufacturing, early childhood and care as well as health.
Five technical colleges will be built and run across South Australia for a combined $208.8 million, giving companies the skilled labour they need and students in years 10 through 12 the chance to learn in world-class settings, the government said in a news release.
Hindmarsh, the company that built the landmark South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), has been chosen to develop the first of five new technical colleges.
Meanwhile, BAE Systems Australia has been named as the college’s key employer partner, with skills capable of supporting critical future industries such as defence, ship and submarine building, and other advanced manufacturing pathways.
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said the Findon Technical College will provide high school students with a head start on the road to obtaining stable, well-paying employment in the future.
“With our state almost at full employment, our defence, early childhood education and healthcare industries are already crying out for skilled workers,” Malinauskas noted.
Blair Boyer, Minister for Education, Training and Skills, expressed his delight at the project’s rapid advancement, which included the newly unveiled concept drawing and digital fly-through.
“Today we take a significant step forward in our delivery of Findon Technical College by providing young people with innovative vocational programs that will lead to employment in industry areas with high workforce demand,” Boyer said.
Hindmarsh CEO Rowan Hindmarsh said the company is proud to have been chosen to work with the Department for Education and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to establish the new Findon Technical College.
“These are significant and important buildings for our community and ones that will shape the way students interact with their environment to set them up for a successful career in the future,” Hindmarsh noted.
In addition to construction underway, the state government said Findon High School will get a $10 million infrastructure update to provide refurbishments in a variety of specialised areas such as culinary technology, digital design, and art.
This will be finished by the end of term three in 2023.
The Findon Technical College is expected to be operational in 2024.
