Stage 2 of the GOTAFE Goulburn Murray Trade Skills Centre is now offering trade training in Victoria
Victoria Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney recently officially opened Stage 2 of the GOTAFE Goulburn Murray Trade Skills Centre, boosting training opportunities for students in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley and helping them get qualified for in-demand jobs without tuition fees.
With plumbing and construction skills in high demand, the updated Trade Skills Centre is now a hub for training skilled tradespeople to help build more homes in regional Victoria, whilst offering courses that give students the qualifications they need to secure careers in trades.
Students can train in a 3,410 square metre purpose-built facility with cutting-edge workshops for building and construction, furniture making, art and design, carpentry, and associated trades.
Stage 2 of the development is supported by a $10 million investment from the state government that delivers a modern double-storey extension of the Archer Street building along with on-site parking for an additional 42 vehicles.
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More than 175 students have enrolled in plumbing trade courses in the new facility, which features connecting facilities for plumbing trades, internal and external sandpits, a plumbing stack, a workshop with welding bays, a mechanical gas room, classrooms, break-out spaces and student and staff amenities.
With Free TAFE, students can train for careers in construction and plumbing at no cost. This includes qualifications like the Certificate II in Building and Construction Pre-apprenticeship and the Certificate II in Plumbing Pre-apprenticeship.
“The GOTAFE Trade Skills Centre is making Shepparton a hub for training the next generation of skilled tradespeople – helping build the homes our communities need while creating secure, high-paying jobs for locals,” Tierney says.
GOTAFE acting chief executive officer Phil Paterson adds: “Our students need contemporary facilities to learn their craft and develop their skills. With the completion of Stage 2 of the GMTSC our plumbing students now have access to some of the best facilities in Victoria.”