Construction work has begun on the new $4.35 million Advanced Manufacturing Skills and Agriculture and Horticulture Centres at TAFE Queensland’s Bundaberg campus.
The new facilities will train and upskill Queensland’s workforce in the growing agriculture and manufacturing industries.
The $1 million Advanced Manufacturing Skills Centre will offer access to modern infrastructure, such as 3D printing machines to support high-end manufacturing skills development for the region.
Meanwhile, the new $3.35 million Agriculture and Horticulture Centre will upgrade the campus’ existing scientific laboratory, enabling TAFE Queensland students to undertake the testing and analysis of water and soil and experiment with specialised tissue cultures.
Funding for the new centres is part of the $100 million Equipping TAFE for our Future initiative, which aims to build and refurbish TAFE infrastructure to deliver training in new, emerging, and growing industries.
“Manufacturing is an industry worth $20 billion per year to the Queensland economy and is currently the third-largest employer of full-time workers – expected to grow to more than 182,000 by 2025-26,” said Minister for Training and Skills Development Lance McCallum.
“This new investment means our future Advanced Manufacturing workforce will receive the best training in a high-tech, supportive environment and will gain the necessary skills to take on high-value jobs – in the lab, and on the production line,” McCallum added.
“We’re prioritising training in growing industries like agriculture and advanced manufacturing through the Good People. Good Jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022 – 2032 and creating the workforce Queensland needs now and into the future.”
The construction project at the Bundaberg campus also includes the installation of a new Smart Centre and mixed reality learning environment, which will allow students to undertake remote monitoring and analysis of data from Grow Pods in the Bowen and Toowoomba campuses using real-time video feeds.
An upgraded open-plan agriculture workshop will provide access to farming equipment, such as forklifts and tractors, while a new Farmbot will be available for robotics nutrition, soil science, biology, and coding.
Murchie Constructions, a local family-owned company, is the appointed builder for both projects.
