A long-awaited major infrastructure project was celebrated yesterday as TAFE Gippsland and the Victorian Government launched the construction of TAFE Gippsland’s new Port of Sale campus.

A sod turn event at the Port of Sale site signalled the start of work on the exciting $25 million capital development project, which will be built by McCorkell Constructions.

Mr Phil D’Adamo, Executive Director TAFE and Tertiary Institutions, representing the Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney, visited Sale to take part in the event marking a very significant milestone for redevelopment works at TAFE Gippsland in 2020.

In a statement earlier this month, Minister Tierney said the Port of Sale campus will “meet local industry and community needs and the best practice training for students across the region”.

“The Port of Sale development is another example of the work the Andrews Labor Government is doing to provide the latest in training for students and industry,” the Minister said.

TAFE Gippsland’s chief executive, Mr Grant Radford and Board Chair Des Powell AM, were also present to witness the first sod on the Port of Sale campus project, along with local government councillors, community and business partners and industry representatives.

“We are delighted to get the Port of Sale campus construction works underway and we fully expect the centrally-located campus will further boost the vocational training participation in the Wellington Shire region,” Mr Radford said.

“This is about delivering on our commitments to staff, students and the community and the new campus at Sale provide a quality vocational training experience and first class training facilities suited to a range of local industry disciplines.”

Mr Radford said the redevelopments mark a significant period of transformation at TAFE Gippsland.

“With significant redevelopment work underway at Warragul campus and our Morwell Trade Skills Centre progressing quickly, TAFE Gippsland is undertaking a tremendous investment in quality facilities to enhance staff and student experience,” Mr Radford said.

“We are looking forward to the completion of these projects over the next 12 months and the boost that they will bring to vocational training and new career opportunities as we recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 in Gippsland.”

McCorkell Constructions have now moved to site to begin building the Port of Sale campus, and the project will be completed in late 2021 with the first students to commence training in February 2022.

The Institute’s other new 2020 building – the Health and Early Childhood Training Centre (HECTC) at Morwell - will now be officially opened at Morwell campus in early 2021.

The HECTC is Stage 1 of this $35.5 million dollar project which includes the Stage 2 Morwell Trade Skills Centre, currently under construction at the east end of Morwell campus.