$2.7 million to expand ag education at Bundy TAFE

Expansions planned for the Bundaberg TAFE are expected to deliver high-quality training and give local students the qualifications to succeed in regional industries.

Bundaberg’s horticulture and agriculture sector is to get $2.7 million for a new Agriculture and Horticulture Centre at Bundaberg TAFE.

The TAFE only offers four classes across horticulture and agriculture and the new centre will boost accessibility to the region‘s food bowl and the job opportunities it holds.

The campus is in the design stage but will include a flexible ag-tech training workshop, science laboratory for water and soil analysis and a grow pod.

Students will also have the opportunity to gain education in the increasing presence of technology in agriculture with a Smart Centre that will be linked to solar panels and other alternative energy equipment and a Reality Digital Control Centre that will mix simulated and virtual reality.

Advocacy group Agricultural and Workforce officer Kylie Jackson said the expansion would be greatly beneficial, if classes could be flexible enough to meet regional farmers’ needs.

Ms Jackson works in close conjunction with the TAFE to streamline Bundaberg students into educational and employment opportunities in local agribusiness.

Local student puts his studies to practice out in the field.

“It’s advantageous for the region; to be able to have a place where we can have agricultural courses delivered is something that we have been asked for many years.”

She said those opportunities could come from the Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Holiday Harvest program that allowed students the chance to work on regional farms and discover a passion for farming.

From here school based traineeships are available to students interested in agricultural pathways.

Bundaberg has two students enrolled in these traineeships.

“That way everybody wins, we take that approach so there’s less of a fall-out rate,” Ms Jackson said.

With the closing of regional agricultural colleges, Ms Jackson said the TAFE expansion could fill the gap in local agricultural and horticulture education.

“We have such a diverse farming region, training needs to be designed to be more relevant to an individual business’ needs.

“We are really looking forward to those facilities being upgraded, it would mean that we have scope to offer a range of subjects,” she said.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith said the new centre would deliver high-quality training for the region‘s students, and give them the qualifications to succeed in regional industries.

“This investment is focused on generating more jobs and strengthening our local economy,” he said.

Construction will begin in November 2022, and be completed by August 2023.