‘Made with care’: Inside Liverpool’s new suburban hub for Sydney’s youngest commuters
Kitted out with much-needed amenities including wellness services and free wi-fi, Liverpool’s newest university outpost is set to become a home away from home for suburban students.
Kitted out with much-needed amenities including communal spaces, wellness services, computers and free wi-fi, Liverpool’s newest university outpost is set to become a home away from home for suburban students seeking some peace and quiet.
Education Minister Jason Clare opened the brand new Suburban University Study Hub in Sydney on Thursday as part of a governmental program to improve access to higher education in outer metropolitan areas.
The newest hub, managed by UNSW, is located inside the Liverpool TAFE campus and aims to expand support to tertiary students in areas where participation in university and higher education is low.
Local resident and second-year Bachelor of Commerce student Henry Tat will be the first person in his family to complete a university degree, and said the “greatest value” the new hub holds is to foster a “sense of community” among the region’s aspiring students.
“The Liverpool study hub is going to give a lot of opportunities to study somewhere close to where I live and especially a space I know that has been made with quality and care,” Henry said.
“Having a Liverpool study hub makes studying in higher education not feel so (lonely).”
Hilary Chap, a fourth-year at UNSW, is currently studying a Bachelor of Food Science and commutes up to four hours a day to attend her classes.
“Most of the universities in Sydney are near the CBD, and it’s not a convenient commute for us that don’t live nearby,” she said.
Ms Chap is the daughter of Cambodian migrants who were not able to access higher education, and will also be the first in her family to complete a university degree.
“My parents couldn’t attend university when they moved to Australia and they wanted me to have a better opportunity for education than them,” she said.
“Having study hubs around suburban areas means we have a dedicated study space for our community, and I think it’s important for our community to know that access to education is not only possible, but also highly valued.”
Mr Clare said while almost half of Australians in their 20s and 30s have a degree, in Sydney’s west the statistics are significantly lower.
“I know growing up in Western Sydney, a lot of my friends felt like university was somewhere else for someone else,” he said.
“I want to change that, and that means bringing university closer to where more people live.”
The regional university study hub program was first announced in 2018, pushed forward by Nationals MP Michael McCormack, and since then the scheme has supported 18,000 students in their higher education journey overcome geographic barriers.
In 2023, $66.9 million in funding was announced to expand the program into suburban communities which lie a significant distance from city centres, like Liverpool.
Recent Liverpool Girls High School graduate Rewana Alkhamici has plans to study a bachelor of Law and received offers from multiple NSW universities.
Now transitioning from high school into university, Ms Alkhamici said “the Study Hub helps to bridge that gap by giving students a comfortable, modern space where they can focus, study and connect with others.
“To me, it shows that your suburb shouldn’t determine your chances. Everyone deserves support, and the Study Hub helps to provide all the support needed to excel.”
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Originally published as ‘Made with care’: Inside Liverpool’s new suburban hub for Sydney’s youngest commuters
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