SBS News | 3 December 2014
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The closed TAFE/HE campus at Lilydale on the outskirts of Melbourne will be reopened, new Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……
Unlocking the doors to the Lilydale TAFE/HE campus.
TAFE providers have already shown interest in reopening a closed campus on the edge of Melbourne, Andrews says.
He visited Swinburne University’s former Lilydale campus on 2 December to announce it would reopen with a $10 million refurbishment. Andrews said
Privately there’s been already some very strong expressions of interest (and) willingness to sit down and talk with the incoming government. I’m very confident we will not only reopen these buildings, but also make sure this is bigger and better than it ever was.
The Lilydale commitment is part of a $320 million injection into the TAFE sector, which saw staff cuts, courses dropped and campus closed after funding cuts by the Coalition in 2012. Swinburne closed the campus in 2013.
Andrews said Victoria had the worst unemployment rate among the mainland states and needs to give people skills to get work.
He did not expect the government would need to kick in money to the successful provider, saying that “the community is an attractive market”.
Andrews said the government was looking at options for NMIT’s (now Melbourne Polytecnic) closed campus in Greensborough, which Labor also promised to refurbish and reopen.
With more job cuts potentially flagged at car manufactures, Andrews said he was in contact with major employers.
Every job is worth fighting for and my office is in the process of bookings calls with GM, Holden and Toyota and a whole range of other employers.