PLANS to grow Alexandra Hills’ TAFE into a trades centre of excellence means local youth will not have to travel outside the Redlands for apprenticeship training.
Business manager Barry Evans said certificate III and IV studies in carpentry, electrical and plumbing would be offered next year, helping students with pre-vocational training to stay in the Redlands.
Engineering and auto trades courses would become available from 2020, further helping to meet the demand of Redlands tradies to recruit apprentices from the local area.
Trades apprentices had been travelling outside the Redlands to other TAFE campuses at places like Acacia Ridge and Eagle Farm for their studies.
But work by Mr Evans and his team is helping students to complete their tertiary education in the Redlands.
A free barbecue breakfast will be held on Thursday, November 1 from 7am to 9am at the Alexandra Hills TAFE training centre to help tradies looking to recruit Redlands apprentices.
The event will also include a Makita trade safety demonstration covering dust and exhaust containment and the dangers of silicosis.
Mr Evans said the campus had not previously been able to offer local apprentices to bayside employers, but a surge of pre-vocational TAFE graduates and the opening of certificate III and IV courses meant apprentices were ready for hire.
“Local employers want local kids but they didn’t (before) have the chance to,” he said. “I had no students to give.”
He said the campus had more than 1500 students enrolled for next year.
Plans were also in place to convert an existing area at the campus into a plumbing centre of excellence, with other projects to boost trades education in the pipeline.
Last year, Capalaba MP Don Brown and Redlands MP Kim Richards promised to inject $10 million into the Alexandra Hills TAFE campus. Mr Evans has also sought grant money to cover other refurbishments.
Mr Brown said people with a certificate III or IV were more likely to get a job compared with their university-trained counterparts, with investment into Redlands only public tertiary provider important for the region.
“With big, private registered training organistations going bust and leaving students high and dry, there is an appetite for a public provider,” Mr Brown said.
“Statistically, you are more likely to get a job with a certificate III or IV than you are with a bachelor’s degree.”
Business owners are invited to exhibit their services for free at the breakfast on Thursday, November 1.
For information or to register for the event, contact Nick Stewart on 0423 920 014 or Bill Alexion on 0418 543 717.
For more information about TAFE Queensland, visit tafeqld.edu.au or phone 1300 308 233.
