GippsTAFE cut above rest
Officially opened: GippsTAFE CEO Peter Whitley, Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Senator David Feeney and Chair of GippsTAFE Board David Gittens
THE Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Peter Hall summed up the new GippsTAFE building in one simple question in front of a sizeable crowd at the campus opening on Tuesday morning. “How good is this?” Mr Hall said the development was “absolutely fantastic” and one he strongly welcomed. “This part of South Gippsland has a lower participation rate for post-secondary education, but this particular facility will encourage more students to continue their education through TAFE,” he said. “When I first became a minister six months ago, one of my main goals was to implement opportunities for country kids to pursue further education opportunities. We don’t always have local facilities, but having this TAFE campus will encourage more students to attend and there has already been an increase in enquiries.” Also in attendance was Senator David Feeney, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, who officially opened the new campus. Sen Feeney said the Commonwealth Government perceived the new facilities as $6 million well spent. “Considering before they were working in portables, the teachers and students have had an extraordinary transformation and a real dramatic shift,” he said. “These facilities are cutting edge. It’s a more enjoyable place to be, for both teachers and students and is one of the best facilities in the state.” If the Prime Minister had have been in attendance, Sen Feeney said Ms Gillard would describe the five star green rated building as “a window to the future and a window to a low carbon future”. Mr Gitten said when the board first saw the plans for the building, “we thought it was a space ship”, but was very fortunate to get funding from the Federal Government, totalling $40 million towards upgrading GippsTAFE campuses around the region. Mr Hall concluded his speech by stating it would be both the “young and old” who would be the real beneficiaries from the new building and said “this remarkable asset is truly something the Leongatha and South Gippsland region can be proud of”.
Short URL: /?p=1416
Posted by 
