The Tasmanian Government has launched TasTAFE’s new $27 million Water and Energy Trades Centre of Excellence that will provide industry-leading training to the state’s water and energy apprentices.
In a media release, Minister Felix Ellis said the state-of-the-art facility will train more than 1250 TasTAFE students and apprentices annually across plumbing, electrotechnology, air conditioning and refrigeration, with numbers expected to grow in the future.
“Designed and developed in collaboration with industry, we know how important it is that Tassie’s tradies of the future are getting the training they need so they can build this state,” the minister remarked.
The 5000-square-metre structure includes a sandpit and three-story stack designed to imitate the pipes and inner workings of a multi-story skyscraper, as well as cutting-edge electrotechnology.
According to Minister Ellis, future generations of industry experts will benefit from an even better training experience because of the Rockliff Liberal Government’s initiative, which was funded by the Commonwealth.
“TasTAFE’s future is very bright. Our $118 million plan will deliver new buildings, more teachers, better access for rural and regional TasTAFE students, and new training opportunities so more Tasmanians can get a job,” the minister said.
He added, “This Centre of Excellence is just another example of how our reforms and investments are supporting TasTAFE to modernise and put the needs of its learners at the centre.”
The Tasmanian and Australian governments, with assistance from industry, are funding the $27 million centre.
The WET Centre of Excellence follows the recent completion of the Clarence campus’s new Student Services Learning Hub and TasTAFE’s first-ever Cyber Security Operations Centre at the Campbell Street campus.
