The State Government has delivered Western Australia's newest TAFE campus, a $39 million multi-storey building in the heart of Armadale's town centre.
South Metropolitan TAFE is offering industry-relevant courses across business, childcare, community services, education support, general education and information technology at the new campus, helping to skill local students to take up jobs in the State's diversifying economy.
The new campus consolidates multiple vocational training facilities into a standalone training hub for the local community, with almost double the training capacity of the previous facilities.
The expanded student capacity comes after publicly funded vocational course enrolments reached a new record high of over 153,800, off the back of the State Government's fee free and low fee TAFE courses for in-demand areas such as construction, engineering, logistics, electrical trades, early childhood education and care, and community services.
The new Armadale campus will also improve delivery of training initiatives such as the Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Students program, which gives secondary school students an opportunity to gain a vocational qualification as part of their WA Certificate of Education.
Designed by Fremantle architectural practice Armstrong Collective and built by local construction company PS Structures, the project employed more than 500 workers throughout construction, including apprentices and trainees.
It includes state-of-the-art simulated childcare facilities for early learning education, specialist training areas for information technology and emerging industries, and classrooms and computer laboratories for business and general education courses. The campus is also equipped with a modern student hub, a creche and outdoor terraces offering local students a comprehensive training experience in their local community.
The new building also has a Jobs and Skills Centre, with friendly and professional staff available to provide practical one-on-one advice to jobseekers and those looking to upskill or retrain about training and employment opportunities.
This project is part of the State Government's record $250 million investment in new and upgraded infrastructure across WA TAFE colleges to ensure Western Australians have access to world-class training facilities in their communities.
