Monash Memo - 30 May 2001

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$12 million for Gippsland education precinct

Monash's Gippsland campus is a key part of a new $12 million education precinct in Churchill, the Victorian Government announced last week.

Due to open in 2003, the precinct will be built on Monash-owned land next to the Gippsland campus and will comprise an education centre for 750 senior secondary school students as well as TAFE and university students.

The facility will offer programs including the VCE, vocational education training (VET) in schools, TAFE courses, apprenticeships and university subjects.

Secondary students in outlying areas of Gippsland will also be able to link into these programs through a $1.5 million information and communication technology (ICT) hub.

Gippsland pro vice-chancellor Professor Brian Mackenzie said the precinct would boost Monash's ability to provide the best education and access to study for local students.

"We will help develop a targeted range of services for secondary students, including a creative set of pathways into further education such as two-year diplomas and associate degrees," he said.

"Year 11 and 12 students will also have access to enhancement programs, which, along with articulation from TAFE courses, will provide Gippsland's youth with more choices in post-compulsory study."

He said Monash would also provide access to the university library and resources such as information technology equipment and the science and nursing laboratories.

The initiative will also involve Kurnai Secondary College, Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE, and regional training companies and employers.

The Victorian Minister for Post Compulsory Education, Ms Lynne Kosky, who launched the precinct, said the project was a key initiative in improving education outcomes in the region.

She said this included improving retention rates of secondary school students and providing more post-compulsory options for students.

"This exciting state-of-the art development is a great opportunity for young people across Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley," she said.