Regional and rural workers in north-eastern Victoria will benefit from upgraded learning facilities, thanks to a $2 million investment by the Victorian Government.
Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney today announced the funding for Dookie Agricultural College, which will pay for essential upgrades to accommodation and training facilities.
The investment will allow the University of Melbourne to revamp its Dookie campus, including upgrades to ageing living quarters providing modern facilities for students and an increase in campus capacity with enrollments expected to grow significantly over the next ten years.
The project will include much needed modernisation to teaching labs and will ensure that students have access to high-quality teaching facilities, which will enhance laboratory science subjects offered at Dookie.
The University of Melbourne will also fund the animal handling facilities to support teaching and research activities.
The Dookie Agricultural College is a focal point for key research, teaching and technology development that is helping to shape the future of agriculture in Australia.
The funding boost is part of a wider investment of $6 million in funding for agricultural colleges as part of theGrowing Victoria agricultural industry initiative, with South West TAFE's Glenormiston campus and Longerenong College also receiving $2 million each.
The demand for skilled workers will increase as our economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. That's why the Victorian Government is investing in sustainable skills development to support the agricultural sector.
Quote Attributable to Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney
"We know that getting a great education shouldn't have to mean moving from regional Victoria to the city - that's why we're upgrading student accommodation and learning facilities at agriculture colleges."
Quote Attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp
"This funding will help Dookie Agricultural College continue to evolve and grow, and to meet the needs of the Victoria we are building."
Quote Attributable to University of Melbourne Dean of Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences Professor John Fazakerley
"From its base at Dookie campus, as well as from Parkville Melbourne, the University of Melbourne engages with agriculture and food industries across the state and educates the leaders of the future. This very welcome investment from the Victorian government will improve facilities at Dookie and thereby allow more students, in our Bachelor of Agriculture and associated courses, the opportunity to live, work and study in a farming community."
