The Hon. Anthony Byrne and Right Hon. Kevin Rudd attended an assembly on Monday 18th February to officially open our Trade Training Centre.

The Federal Government invested $10.5 million in the Trade Training Centre cluster facility under its Trade Training Centres in Schools program.

Mr Byrne said the trade training centre program was first announced by Kevin Rudd back in May 2007 and it was designed to address skill shortages and to provide an extra educational investment for young people in their transition into the TAFE and apprenticeship stream.

“Kevin and I strongly believe that there is no difference in value between a trade certification and a university degree,” said Mr Byrne.

The Hallam Valley Trade Training and Skills Hub will provide job-ready training in traditional and emerging trades for senior school students at Hallam Senior Secondary College, Fountain Gate Secondary College, Gleneagles Secondary College, Endeavour Hills Secondary College, Hampton Park Secondary College, Narre Warren South P-12 College and St John’s Regional College.

The centre includes the construction of an automotive workshop, a construction workshop, two theory rooms, two seminar rooms, store rooms, a computer workshop and amenities, the refurbishment of two existing facilities to include a commercial kitchen, a teaching café and dining café and dining area, a hairdressing teaching facility, an electronics workshop, three theory rooms, an electronics facility, store rooms and amenities and the provision of equipment across four sites within the cluster.