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Building TAFE SA for the future
Minister’s foreword
The past decade has
We have undertaken an extensive review of
seen South Australia
TAFE SA’s campuses and are in the midst
transformed into a high
of a major capital investment program.
growth, high skill economy
These changes are only the beginning of a
that is competitive in the
comprehensive plan to transform TAFE SA.
global marketplace.
The flagship will be the Sustainable Industries
Despite the recent global
Education Centre, a $125 million building and
economic downturn,
construction education hub to be constructed on
the State’s economy
the former Mitsubishi Motors site at Tonsley Park.
continues to grow, with around $71.5 billion of
This new Centre will replace outdated campuses
major projects underway or in the pipeline. These
at O’Halloran Hill, Marleston and Panorama.
projects are creating new, skilled jobs every day.
This is an exciting time for South Australia
The most important challenges that industry
and an exciting time for TAFE SA. These
and employers will face in the coming years are
infrastructure investments will transform TAFE
labour and skills supply. We are going to need
SA to meet the future vocational education
more people, with a higher level of qualifications,
and training needs of South Australia.
to drive our growth industries and deliver our
major projects. We want South Australia to
have the best skilled workforce in Australia.
To help meet these challenges and close the skills
gap, the State Government has set an ambitious
target with our Jobs Strategy. We’ve committed
to create 100,000 new jobs for South Australia. To
make sure we have the right people with the right
Hon Jack Snelling MP
skills to take on these jobs, we are also investing
Minister for Employment, Training
an extra $194 million over the next six years.
and Further Education
Combined with the Productivity Places Program this
will deliver an additional 100,000 training places.
Carrying out the Jobs Strategy will require major
reforms to the vocational education and training
(VET) sector. Our Skills for All agenda proposes
that all South Australians will have a passport
to world-class skills through quality training.
TAFE SA as the public provider and
the largest VET provider in the State is
crucial to achieving our objectives.
Building TAFE SA for the future
September 2010
Building TAFE SA for the future
Creating a highly skilled workforce is essential
Upgrading campus infrastructure is critical
to building a strong future for South Australia.
if TAFE SA is to be a part of these changes.
All South Australians, whether they live in
TAFE SA holds 74% of the market share in
the city or the country, will have access to
vocational education and training in South Australia,
outstanding campuses designed to meet
training more than 80,000 students in 2009 alone.
the needs of a broad range of learners.
It stands to reason that TAFE SA can have the
greatest impact on skills levels by introducing
The next focus for TAFE SA will be on improving
a new approach to the delivery of training.
infrastructure, both physical and virtual, to enable
world class training in world class campuses.
TAFE SA has made a number of improvements
Significant investments in infrastructure have
in recent times to the way it serves students,
been made over the last 12 months which have
businesses and the community. The three registered
resulted in upgraded facilities at six campuses
training providers, TAFE SA Adelaide North Institute,
and a new campus at Victor Harbor.
TAFE SA Adelaide South Institute and TAFE SA
Regional, are working more closely with regions
Revitalising South Australia’s vocational education
and with business sectors to ensure that graduates
and training system is essential to building a
have the skills that are needed by industry.
competitive South Australian economy and
a society that has opportunities for all. TAFE
Training needs are changing rapidly. Industry and
SA, as the State’s leading provider of publicly
the community are demanding a modern and
funded skills training, has an important role in
dynamic approach to the way training is delivered,
this future. Its ongoing renewal and reinvigoration
and today’s learners expect contemporary, state
is critical to the future of South Australia.
of the art training in purpose-built campuses.
Welcome to the next step in the journey.
Increasingly, students will be learning both on
campus in modern classrooms and workshops,
and off campus in their workplaces or online. TAFE
Institutes need campuses and support systems that
are flexible and responsive to a changing world.
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What we’ve done so far
Student Information System
The 2009-2010 financial year saw a major
The State Government is investing $20 million
capital investment in TAFE SA’s infrastructure.
towards a new student management system which
With help from the Australian Government, the
will make TAFE SA more flexible and easier to access.
State has committed more than $70 million to
upgrading and maintaining TAFE SA campuses.
This new web-based, self-service system will
contain information about all courses and
The funding has been used for refurbishments
training offered at TAFE SA and will manage
at major campuses, including:
student academic and financial records.
• $8.7 million for TAFE SA Noarlunga
The Student Information System will enable
Campus, which will lead to a doubling
students and industry to engage with teachers
of entry level courses at the campus
and administrators online or on campus,
• a $5 million upgrade of the hospitality
facilities at the TAFE SA Regency Campus
helping them to blend their study, work and
family commitments more seamlessly.
• $3 million to establish a centre of excellence
in technology at Tea Tree Gully Campus
• $6.5 million to significantly upgrade
TAFE SA Whyalla Campus
• $3.5 million for two new workshops at Mount
Using the secure system, a student will be able
to check the fees they owe and pay online,
enrol as a new or continuing student in a whole
course or qualification or individual units of
Gambier Campus to support the heavy
competence, gain recognition for prior studies,
vehicle, carpentry and joinery industries
check class scheduling (both virtual and physical)
• $1.68 million for TAFE SA Whyalla, Port
Pirie, Mount Gambier, Berri, Port Lincoln,
and check their academic results and progress
towards completing their qualification.
Roxby Downs and some smaller sites
for purchasing and upgrading industrial
As e-learning and blended learning becomes
equipment used for training purposes
more widespread, the new Student Information
• $700,000 to install energy efficient
lights, energy efficient air conditioning
System will facilitate online access for students by
capturing the results of these online activities.
and other improvements at the Mount
Barker and Mount Gambier campuses
• $9.4 million on a new TAFE SA Victor Harbor
campus, due to be completed in 2010.
The Sustainable Industries Education Centre is the
next step in the journey to creating a TAFE SA that
will meet South Australia’s future skills needs.
Building TAFE SA for the future
The ‘go-live’ date for the new system is April 2011.
Sustainable Industries
Education Centre
The centrepiece of TAFE SA’s new direction
Students will have increased access to
will be a world class, $125 million building and
education through high speed broadband and
construction education hub to be built on the
e-learning capability, creating a virtual learning
former Mitsubishi Motors site in a collaboration
environment that encourages collaboration
between TAFE SA,the universities and industry.
and enables learning from any location. The
centre is positioned on a major public transport
This state of the art new Centre is intended to bring
route, which will be significantly strengthened
together TAFE, university and industry sectors for
over the coming years with the development
the first time in South Australia. The Sustainable
of the light rail interconnections between the
Industries Education Centre will be an integral part
north and south of metropolitan Adelaide.
of the Tonsley Park redevelopment, housing more
than 8000 students and 210 teaching staff per year.
The new Centre will better meet the needs
of learners and enterprises and will greatly
Building and construction is a $4.5 billion
reduce the costs of maintaining publicly-
industry , employing 8.3 per cent of South
owned campuses. This will ultimately result in
Australia’s workforce2. It accounts for 23 per
lowering the cost per hour of training delivery,
cent of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also
and will mean students and industry will see
an industry that faces critical skills shortages,
the benefits of stronger, more relevant skills.
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with demand for qualifications predicted to
increase by at least 30 per cent by 2012.
The Centre will also provide a united entry
point for the building and construction industry
TAFE SA currently provides 80 per cent of
and will transform the way trade training is
the industry’s trade qualifications, and this
delivered, including strengthening pathways
new Centre will allow an increase in building
between vocational and higher education.
and construction course numbers by at least
16 per cent, with new training offered in
The Sustainable Industries Education Centre will
renewable energy and water operations.
be one of the key drivers in achieving Skills for
All reforms and will play a key role in delivering
The Sustainable Industries Education
on the Jobs Strategy. It is expected that more
Centre will become TAFE SA’s building and
than 10,000 of the additional 100,000 training
construction training hub, incorporating
places will be for qualifications associated with
dedicated, hands-on learning laboratories.
the building and construction industry, including
civil construction and engineering, carpentry
The proposed co-location of vocational and
and joinery, bricklaying and plumbing.
higher education with the industry sector will
not only give industry ready access to cutting-
The Centre will also promote sustainable
edge training facilities, but will also give students
building techniques. New learning programs
the opportunity to learn in close proximity to
will ensure the building and construction
industry as they progress from basic skills
industry will have a workforce that is capable
training through to higher education.
of implementing the new technologies that will
move South Australia to a low carbon future.
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ABS annual State Accounts (Cat no 5220.0) for 2008-09
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ABS annual State Accounts (Cat no 6291.0.55.003) for 2008-09
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Contact Details
Department of Further Education,
Employment, Science and Technology
Buildings repr
esented are fo
r demonstratio
n purposes on
and may not be
ly
indicative of fin
al design.
GPO Box 230
ADELAIDE SA 5000
Ph (08) 8226 3821
Email dfeestreception@sa.gov.au
Building TAFE SA for the future
September 2010