The Gutwein and Morrison Liberal Governments are delivering on their commitment to develop a Water and Energy Trades Centre of Excellence at TasTAFE’s Clarence Campus.
Construction is underway on the $21 million training facility, which is jointly funded by the Gutwein State Government and Morrison Federal Government, with support from industry.
TasTAFE’s Water and Energy Trades (WET) Centre of Excellence will be one of the newest facilities in Australia, incorporating contemporary learning spaces and modern equipment, that will help train Tasmanians for work in the water and energy sectors.
The building will have a floor area of more than 5000 square metres spread across two levels, and is being built on land adjacent to the existing construction and allied trades workshops, creating a trades training hub at TasTAFE’s Clarence Campus.
Roger Jaensch, Minister for Skills, Training and Workforce Growth, said the new building would be re-configurable so that it could cater for the future needs of industry and would include a three-storey stack to replicate the pipes and inner workings of a multi-storey building.
“The Centre of Excellence will allow TasTAFE to increase its training capacity across trades such as plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning and electrotechnology,” Mr Jaensch said.
“The Centre will also cater for emerging industries such as poly welding and hydrogen, helping to build a skilled workforce to support significant water, energy and infrastructure projects currently in the pipeline.”
Federal Assistant Minister for Industry Development Jonno Duniam said the centre would secure the jobs of the future for Tasmania’s energy and water sectors.
“A world-class training facility right here in Tasmania will ensure that young Tasmanians have more opportunities to get the skills and education they need to have a fulfilling career,” Assistant Minister Duniam said.
“This centre will train Tasmanians for jobs that are absolutely vital to the future of this state, and it is great to see this partnership between the state and federal governments and industry deliver on this important commitment.”
Tasmanian construction company Hansen Yuncken has been working on-site since early January, with in-ground installation of water, electrics and sewers, and footing bindings already complete.
The building phase will take about 12 months, with the Centre expected to be completed and ready to offer training in the first half of 2023.
We would like to thank key industry partners Master Plumbers Tasmania, Keystone Tasmania, National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), TasNetworks and the Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association of Australia (AMCA) for their support in developing the centre of excellence.
The WET Centre is just one example of how the Tasmanian Liberal Government is supporting TasTAFE to modernise and support Tasmania’s training needs now and into the future.
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