Bundaberg unveils $4.35m agricultural and manufacturing facilities at TAFE

The Bundaberg TAFE campus has opened two state-of-the-art training centres worth more than $4m, putting it at the centre of a predicted Wide Bay economic boom.

Bundaberg’s future shines bright with the launch of new state-of-the-art TAFE training facilities, boosting skills and opportunities in agriculture and manufacturing.

The Bundaberg TAFE campus has unveiled two cutting-edge training facilities valued at more than $4m aimed at strengthening the region’s agriculture and food manufacturing industries.

The $3.35m agriculture and horticulture centre and the $1m advanced manufacturing skills centre are the result of a $4.35m investment from Labor’s Equipping TAFE for our Future program.

The advanced manufacturing skill centre has opened at the Bundaberg TAFE.

The agriculture and horticulture centre boasts a modern ag-tech workshop, an upgraded science lab for data analysis and species incubation, a farmbot for advanced robotics and a smart centre/mixed reality studio for remote operation of the farmbot.

This centre will support various agriculture and horticulture qualifications including the new diploma of agribusiness management starting in 2024-25.

Meanwhile, the advanced manufacturing skills centre features a revamped manufacturing workshop, 3D printing and CNC machines and an enhanced digital lab.

This facility aims to drive technological innovation in the agriculture sector, particularly in food manufacturing, and will offer qualifications such as Certificate II in Autonomous Technologies and Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician.

Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith marked the opening of the facilities, saying, “the combination of manufacturing within the agricultural and horticultural industries will see Bundaberg become the economic powerhouse of the Wide Bay region”.

The farm-bot and mist house.

The Bundaberg campus is also offering fee-free courses thanks to the Queensland Government funding.

Stephanie Fox, a 31-year-old from Gin Gin, is among the students benefiting from this initiative.

Enrolled in a Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management, Ms Fox said the course gave her the chance to give back to the community.

“I’ve spent most of my life helping to care for family with disabilities,” she said.

“Mum died a year ago, and for 18 months before that I was caring for her after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“Obviously, after mum died, money was very tight, so the course being free has made it a lot easier for me to study than it would have been otherwise.”

With these facilities, Bundaberg is set to play a key role in the region’s economic growth.

The Wide Bay is expected to experience the fastest employment growth in Queensland by 2025-26, with agriculture, forestry, fishing and manufacturing projected to employ more than 18,500 people.