New $43.2 million training facilities open at Pundulmurra TAFE

• New trades workshops open as part of State Government's $48.9 million investment at North Regional TAFE's Pundulmurra (South Hedland) campus
• New workshops will be a training hub for next generation of Pilbara's trades workforce
• Project delivered as part of the State Government's record $243.3 million investment in new and upgraded infrastructure at WA TAFE colleges

Apprentices and school-based trainees are now learning in two state-of-the-art trades workshops at North Regional TAFE's Pundulmurra campus, thanks to the Cook Government's total $48.9 million investment in upgrading training facilities in the region.

Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk today opened the Heavy Automotive and Mobile Plant and Fitting and Engineering workshops at North Regional TAFE's Pundulmurra campus. 

In a major boost to trades training in the Pilbara region, the new workshops will help to train local skilled workers in heavy automotive, heavy mobile and fixed plant, and engineering trades to support the resources sector, the region's largest employer.

Designed by MPS Architects and constructed by Decmil Group, the new trades workshops include classrooms and specialist training areas.

Students using the new workshops are also set to benefit from training on modern, industry-standard equipment as well as existing equipment relocated from the decommissioned South Hedland annex, enabling them to be job-ready.

Part of the State Government's Rebuilding our TAFEs plan, the $43.2 million Pundulmurra Trades Expansion project also includes the construction of a new hospitality training block, which will feature a commercial cookery training kitchen and flexible training areas. The hospitality facility is expected to be completed mid-year, with students set to commence training in Semester Two 2024.

In addition to the new trades workshops and hospitality block, the campus has also benefited from the construction of a new $1.1 million horticulture workshop completed in 2022, and $4.6 million in upgrades to the light automotive and automotive electrical training facilities, which were completed in 2023.

The Pundulmurra Trades Expansion is a key regional project, which forms part of the largest TAFE capital works program in Western Australia's history, with the State Government investing $243.3 million in upgrades to essential infrastructure at TAFE colleges across the State.

Comments attributed to Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk:

"The State Government's $43.2 million investment in the Pundulmurra Trades Expansion is helping us train more local people for local jobs.

"Qualified tradespeople are in high demand for jobs throughout the Pilbara, particularly in the resources and construction industry, with demand only expected to increase in the coming years as WA transitions to clean energy.

"The workshops will provide a training hub for the next generation of heavy automotive, heavy mobile and fixed plant, and engineering workers for the region.

"These new facilities will allow more local people to access hands-on training in modern workshops fitted with the latest industry-relevant equipment - so that they're 'job ready' when they finish their training." 

Comments attributed to Pilbara MLA Kevin Michel:

"The new trades facilities at Pundulmurra significantly increase capacity for vocational training in the Pilbara, enabling North Regional TAFE to meet the region's trade training demands.

"These new facilities will enable people to get the skills they need locally – and go on to a rewarding career right here in the Pilbara."