- New $6 million health and hospitality training centre for North Regional TAFE's Kununurra campus
- Local builder Kimberley Green Constructions appointed to build $6 million centre
- Employment opportunities to be maximised for locals
A major milestone for a new dedicated health and hospitality centre in the Kimberley region has been reached, with a local construction company appointed and works starting on the $6 million project.
Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery was in Kununurra recently, to mark the commencement of construction at North Regional TAFE by Kimberley Green Constructions.
Local businesses will be engaged throughout the project to maximise local employment opportunities. Plumbing, electrical and carpentry apprentices are expected to be employed through the project
The new facility will provide specialist training spaces for hospitality and tourism, nursing and aged and disability care, allowing North Regional TAFE to deliver National Disability Insurance Scheme training in Kununurra to meet demand in the region.
Among the many amenities, there will be a training kitchen with adjacent classroom that can be converted to a dining room for hands-on event training, and NDIS simulated facilities for both home and residential care.
The tourism space includes an art workshop and gallery space to provide training for tourism and cultural activities unique to the East Kimberley.
The new training centre is part of the McGowan Labor Government's $184.3 million record investment for essential infrastructure upgrades of the State's TAFE colleges, creating world-class learning opportunities for students while generating a pipeline of jobs for Western Australians.
In a further boost for the region's workforce, Kimberley locals are also taking up affordable training opportunities offered through the State Government's Lower fees, local skills initiative, with a 34 per cent increase in enrolments in the region this year.
Construction at the Kununurra TAFE campus is expected to be completed in October 2022.