By Jesse Graham
BOX Hill Institute will be widening its course and offering and buying specialist equipment for classes after receiving more than $10 million from the Victorian Government.
Training and Skills Minister Gayle Tierney visited BHI’s Lilydale Lakeside campus on Tuesday 13 December with Education Minister James Merlino and BHI CEO Norman Gray AM for a tour of the campus.
After visiting several classrooms, Ms Tierney announced $750,000 for the education provider under its Specialised Teaching Equipment Initiative.
Ms Tierney then announced a further $9.3 million in funding to prepare the campus for the beginning of its Skills First program, beginning next year.
“What happens next is Skills First and the intent of that is to create a new training system that puts government-funded TAFE at the centre of it,” she said.
“It’s not down there, through the floor, which is the policy of the previous government, it is making sure that we have a sustainable and systemic TAFE system in this state, and that people identify with TAFE, but they identify with their local TAFE.”
Yarra Ranges Council CEO Glenn Patterson and councillors Jim Child and Tony Stevenson were present for the announcement, along with BHI chairman Jack Diamond, staff and a student.
Ms Tierney said the $750,000 would purchase equipment needed for courses that were “directly connected to industry and jobs”.
“I know that is desperately needed here and will be put to enormous use,” she said.
BHI will purchase a full-motion flight simulator, which will allow for more enrolments in flight courses.
The $9.3 million, meanwhile, was dubbed ‘TAFE Boost Funding’ ahead of the Skills First program beginning, which Ms Tierney said will help to increase course offerings and enrolments.
As of Tuesday 13 December, more than 1000 students have enrolled in courses through the Lilydale Lakeside campus which also provides courses through Deakin University and William Angliss Institute.
Mr Gray thanked the Government for its support and funding, which he said will help to broaden the provider’s offering to students in coming years.
“We do think we’re out there a bit from the others, in our views and our plans, and it’s nice to know we’ve got that ministerial support for that thinking,” he said.
The funding comes after the Government spent $20 million on the campus to re-open it after Swinburne University of Technology closed at the site in 2013.
