The Tonsley Technical College is nearing completion as the state-of-the-art facility takes shape in tandem with Flinders University's Factory of the Future.
Tonsley Technical College will offer three specific industry areas of advanced manufacturing and engineering for careers in defence, automotive and energy to work with electric vehicles and renewables and building and construction for trade careers.
Three new employee partners have signed up to support these key pathways – SARAH construction, who is building the college, advanced electronics manufacturer REDARC and Climate Impact Corporation (CIC), a leader in the renewable hydrogen sector.
They are in addition to three leading employee partners already supporting Tonsley; Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC), the Master Builders Association (MBA) and Motor Trades Association (MTA).
With the first full student intake due next year, the construction work is nearing its end, with external cladding, including the façade veil now complete, and the first installation of internal services also done. Internal glazing, painting and joinery are currently underway, along with external landscaping and civil works.
The building work is due for completion in the middle of the year, with tours for both prospective students and the general community to take place in semester two.
The Tonsley project is a significant collaboration between the Department for Education and Flinders University's Factory of the Future, which is an industry-focused research and capability-building facility.
The project features timber products sourced from the NeXTimber pine mass timber facility at Timberlink in the southeast to help reduce the carbon footprint of the construction work, with much of the timber remaining exposed as part of the design.
The Tonsley Technical College, which will be run in conjunction with the Australian Science and Maths School, and the Bedford Park campus of Flinders University, is part of the significant Malinauskas Labor Government investment of $208.8 million to provide vocational education and training and hands-on practical skills development for students.
Five new technical colleges – three in Adelaide and two in regional South Australia – will support students in years 10 to 12 as they complete their SACE, with learning-centred around industry training programs, designed and delivered in partnership with employers, with guaranteed career opportunities for graduates.
Each technical college is designed to replicate the look, feel and flow of industry workplace environments.
Findon Technical College is open now, with the other four – Tonsley, Port Augusta (opening later this year), Limestone Coast, and the Heights – all taking 2026 enrolments now.
As put by Blair Boyer
Students at the Tonsley Technical College will be learning in facilities that are specifically built like workplaces, using industry-standard equipment. This means they get real, hands-on experience with the technologies they'll use every day in their future career.
Additionally, students undertaking the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering program will have an Engineering pathway to Flinders University as these students will be able to complete their first year of engineering degree at Flinders University while in Year 12, fast-tracking their pathway into key career opportunities.
The technical colleges are an innovative and important project for the state – not only for the future of the economy but for providing practical opportunities for young people that will see them in careers in growing industries such as defence, construction or new technology.
