Nursing students at South West TAFE will soon have the world-class learning facilities they deserve, with the Andrews Labor Government making it easier than ever to get the high-quality industry training they need, closer to home.
Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney today visited SW TAFE’s Warrnambool campus to announce $1.2 million to upgrade laboratories and nursing equipment at the TAFE’s Warrnambool and Hamilton campuses, as part of the Labor Government’s Regional and Specialist Training Fund.
The upgrades will support the delivery of the Diploma of Nursing across the two campuses and includes the creation of state-of-the-art nursing laboratories, including new hospital grade beds, patient monitoring equipment and advanced life support manikins.
The Diploma of Nursing is available as a Free TAFE course, providing tuition-fee free training for students who are eligible for government-subsidised training.
The works will also convert a general-purpose classroom at Warrnambool into a second nursing laboratory, complete with a videoing pod, as well as allow for the purchase of 360-degree video capable cameras for Virtual Reality, along with other nursing equipment.
The upgrades are vital to ensure modern training facilities which meet the highest industry standards for nursing students in South-Western Victoria and will support up to 160 places each year. Works are expected to start in October and be completed in early 2023.
The Diploma of Nursing Free TAFE course helps to address a skills shortage in nursing for the region by providing tuition fee-free training in one of the state’s most in-demand industries. The works are estimated to support around 100 jobs for graduates in the south-west alone across 2023 and 2024.
Since being added to the Free TAFE course list in 2019 more than 90 students have completed the Diploma of Nursing at South West TAFE.
Since Free TAFE was introduced by the Labor Government in 2019, more than 115,000 students have benefited across more than 60 courses, saving more than $281 million in tuition fees.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney
“Free TAFE plays such an important role in addressing skills shortage in nursing for the South West Victorian region, by providing tuition fee-free training in one of the state’s most in demand industries.”
“Through the Regional and Specialist Training Fund we are providing the very best training to support the critical workforce needs in healthcare across South-Western Victoria.”
Quote attributable to South West TAFE CEO Mark Fidge
“This is a big win for our community. With three large hospitals located in Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland servicing a growing population, training in modern facilities locally is essential.”