Country Universities Centre study hub opens at Warwick TAFE to support uni students
Southern Downs school leavers will now have the option of pursuing study close to home, as the long-awaited Country Universities Centre opens in Warwick.
Regional News
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The fruitful allegiance between Southern Downs Regional Council and local educational and community organisations has seen the long-awaited welcome of a rural university hub.
In early October 2023, Southern Downs Regional Council announced plans to bring a university learning hub to the region in a bid to keep students local, with a funding proposal submitted a month later.
Country Universities Centre officially opened in Warwick on July 16, with stakeholders and federal ministers gathering at the hub, located on the TAFE campus at 200 Dragon St.
The hub will provide facilities and support for students studying a university or VET course without them having to travel or relocate for their studies.
Data has revealed almost half of Australia’s young population has a university degree, with the numbers significantly lower in regional and communities.
It’s understood only 13 per cent of young people in Warwick have a degree in higher education.
Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged the need for regional study hubs and their benefit to the community.
In the years ahead more jobs will require more skills, he said.
“The government has set a target that by 2050, 80 per cent of workers will have a TAFE or university qualification,” he said.
“To hit that target we have to break down that invisible barrier that stops a lot of people from the bush getting a crack at going to university.
“The evidence is that where University Study Hubs are, university participation goes up. That’s why we are doubling the number of Hubs across the country.”
Regional Development Assistant Minister Anthony Chisholm said regional study hubs have helped to remove educational barriers that are stopping people in rural and remote communities from pursuing further study.
“Study hubs provide student support and campus-style facilities for students who are studying a university or TAFE course without them having to leave their community,” he said.
“Around 44 per cent of students who are registered at the existing regional hubs across the country are the first in their family to attend university, which is fantastic to see.”
The Country Universities Centre is part of the Albanese government’s $66.9m investment to more than double the number of university study hubs across the country.
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Originally published as Country Universities Centre study hub opens at Warwick TAFE to support uni students
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