Another $5 million will be spent upgrading one of Warrnambool TAFE's ageing buildings taking the total government investment in the facilities to $27 million.
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Chief executive officer Mark Fidge said the F building on Merri Street would undergo a major revamp at the same time work gets under way on construction of the new Learning and Library Hub.
Mr Fidge said they had been given $4.9 million from the state government to refurbish and upgrade a section of the building to expand and refresh its hair, beauty and massage training area.
"That area for us, and in our region, is extremely popular and the number of students that graduate from that area is massive each year," he said.
The revamp also includes an upgrade of student lounges and amenities - something long overdue for the facility that had had minimal upgrades since it was first constructed in the 1980s.
"It's focusing on creating a better environment for our VCAL students. That's really important because it's a growing area for us," Mr Fidge said.
He said the new library - a joint project between council, TAFE and the government - would bring more people from the community onto the site and created an opportunity for students to get practical experience.
Along with allowing more community access to its hair, beauty and massage students, TAFE will also open up its hospitality and restaurant areas
"To do that we needed to upgrade the facilities in our building to make sure that those facilities are looking really smart, similar to the development of the learning library hub. At the moment its a really tired building, so let's upgrade it."
Mr Fidge said the F building funding was on top of the $16.3 million the government had committed to the new library project.
"At the moment we are managing close to $27 million in government projects for the upgrading of our facilities and infrastructure," Mr Fidge said.
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He said the government had allocated an extra $2 million towards the library hub as well as an extra $1.3 million in maintenance.
"When you add it all up it's about $27 million which is a huge investment in our region."
He said being named as Australia's training provider of the year in 2020 had position the facility really well in the eyes of government.
Mr Fidge said the successes in student/employer experience and graduate outcomes had encouraged government investment in the site to keep the momentum going.
The campus, he said, would become a pilot for the entire state. "It is quite unique. It was a pitch made to government a few years ago and they've really liked what we've set up on this site," he said.
"It's something that hasn't really been done before. If we can support all learners onto one location.
"There will be nothing else like it."
He said the campus' location close to Brophy youth services, the art gallery and F Project as well as having the skills and jobs centre onsite would create a vibrant atmosphere for the precinct.
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