Bega TAFE's flashy new facility was officially opened on Friday as the state government celebrated a number of infrastructure investments in the Bega electorate.
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NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Skills Minister Geoff Lee cut the ribbon on the $17million Multi-Trades Hub on Friday, December 17.
They were joined by outgoing Member for Bega Andrew Constance and his would-be successor Fiona Kotvojs, who just the night before was endorsed as the Liberal candidate for a Bega byelection in the new year.
The new facilities include a modern campus experience complete with a full-featured workshop catering for multiple trades like carpentry, automotive and welding, as well as health and community services training spaces.
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A commercial kitchen and training restaurant - which will keep The Barracks name from the current campus - offers apprentice chefs and hospitality workers a larger more modern space, as well as outdoor dining options.
The Multi-Trades Hub is linked to the Connected Learning Centre, which was opened in February 2019.
Mr Perrottet said the the campus would "significantly boost the region's pipeline of trades skills".
"These investments provide a real difference to communities right across our state," the Premier said.
"Facilities like these provide not just more courses, but greater opportunity, particularly for young people, to get ahead.
"We want to make sure our young people are equipped with skills they need for jobs for the future."
Mr Lee said this new "world-class facility" was "an example of what TAFEs should be like in the future".
"A multi-skills hub and connected learning centre gives you world class training, practical skills training and theoretical training - building up people's knowledge...with the critical skills we need today.
"We're seeing critical skills gaps and this centre is an example of how we're addressing that.
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He said the $25million investment across the connected learning centre and multi-trades hub "bodes well for the region".
Mr Constance said the multi-trades hub created a "world-class education space" for the region.
He said it's location provided greater access to the Bega CBD, Bega High School and University of Wollongong campus, "creating an education precinct right in the heart of the town".
"We know the investments we make, particularly following the tough years we have had, from bushfires through to drought, the pandemic, floods...the best thing we can be doing is investing in our skills and give every opportunity for our young people to not have to travel out of the area.
"A new TAFE in Bega will not just service the town, but the whole region. It's a legacy for the town that I know will be very special."