Plan to reopen Noosa TAFE

A FORMAL proposal to see the Noosa TAFE reopen as a state-owned training facility has been lodged with the State Government.
Labor candidate for Wide Bay Lucy Stanton and Chamber of Commerce president Peter Chenoweth have submitted a proposal to the State Government’s Strategic Training Asset Management Plan (STAMP) review, advocating for a reopening of the Noosa TAFE as a training facility.
“It’s time for the community to figure out what to do with the Noosa TAFE. The number one priority must be to ensure training and skilling needs are met in this region,” Ms Stanton said.
“The Noosa TAFE facility is purpose-built for training, hence I do not regard it as a piece of infrastructure to be sold off. It is a national asset, and we must work across all levels of government to ensure its future.”
Ms Stanton said she had worked closely with Mr Chenoweth to develop a joint plan of action.
“Our plan is for the facility to be retained as a state-owned asset to meet projected growth in training needs for the northern Sunshine Coast region,” Ms Stanton said.
“Our collaboration arises out of previously articulated messages from each of us, of a need to diversify the local economy, beyond tourism, to include digital enterprises and small scale production.
“It is driven by a desire to see our community be smarter about living sustainability within the Noosa biosphere, and for this to include a range of creative industries, Noosa-made manufacturing and digital innovation spaces.”
Ms Stanton said she and Mr Chenoweth were invited to participate in their consultation on STAMP and through this involvement were advised by the Minister for Training and Skills Yvette D’Ath to submit a formal proposal to the review.
“Our concept is for a two-phase re-opening of Noosa TAFE for training, informed by genuine community participation in a practical conversation concerning how our TAFE can best serve this local region,” Ms Stanton said.
“An initial stage involves different projects spread across the campus from a digital hub through to workshop instruction.
“In the follow-on stage, we propose a re-opening of the TAFE but only once an underlying business case to support training has been demonstrated. This is to be conducted through the active involvement of our community during the initial stage.”
“Our proposal for action, not talk, is about getting it right concerning training and what vocational skills our community needs into the future. It is about raising confidence to move forward with re-opening the campus, with informed decisions made possible through community engagement to determination how the Noosa TAFE can best serve us locally.”