Gippsland’s tertiary education further strengthened by new MoU

Less than a week after the announcement of a major partnership to increase local education opportunities for students in the region, Gippsland’s three largest tertiary education providers – Monash University, GippsTAFE and Advance TAFE (previously known as East Gippsland TAFE) – have further cemented their commitment to the future prosperity and productivity of the region by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.   

Designed to formalise existing partnerships and facilitate further collaborative efforts between the institutions, the MoU will guide the institutions to develop and implement joint initiatives that address barriers to tertiary education, and help ensure the Gippsland region has the skills required for future success.

“Carefully targeted education and training to support Gippsland’s key industries and employers, and providing a skilled workforce to respond to the issues we are likely to face in the future is an important first step in ensuring the long-term sustainability of our region,” said Professor Helen Bartlett, Pro Vice-Chancellor Monash University Gippsland.

“Tertiary education plays a key role in meeting skills shortages in a region such as Gippsland. Improving the interface between education and industry will be especially important as we consider how best education providers can work together to support the Gippsland region to transition to a low-carbon economy, and meet the workforce demands of existing and emerging industries alike.”

While the existing relationships between the region’s education institutions are very positive, Chief Executive Officer of GippsTAFE, Dr Peter Whitley, said the MoU was an important part of publicly demonstrating the ongoing commitment GippsTAFE, Monash and Advance TAFE have to improving education and employment opportunities in Gippsland.

“Beyond some of the more immediate advantages – such as additional pathways from TAFE to university – the MoU will allow the development of a shared, structured dialogue between the region’s largest tertiary education institutions, and use this for the benefit of communities across the entire region.

“By better aligning the curriculums of TAFE and university, providing additional channels for industry to engage with education providers, and making it easer to access tertiary study, we will provide more opportunities for people in Gippsland to attain the skills they need for personal and professional success.”

In addition to responding to a rapidly changing skills landscape, Chief Executive Officer of Advance TAFE, Mr Peter Heilbuth, said the MoU would help education providers better address the barriers to tertiary education in regional areas, and make it easier for students in Gippsland to study locally.

“If we are to close the gap between city and country tertiary education participation rates, we need to work together to overcome the barriers to education, including a lack of public transport and the cost of moving away from home to study.

“The introduction of the MoU will allow us to extend the footprint of tertiary education through using new technology – such as high-resolution video conferencing – to take more education opportunities to more students, regardless of where they may live in Gippsland.”

The MoU builds on the recently announced Gippsland Integrated Health and Community Education Program, a $2.5 million initiative between Monash University, GippsTAFE and Advance TAFE and major regional health providers to respond to skills shortages by expanding employment options and extending education pathways for TAFE students wanting to progress to university.

Media contacts:

For Monash University and Professor Helen Bartlett: Tim Grainger on 0419 655 533

For GippsTAFE and Mr Jim Vivian: Kylie Gore on 0466 747 921

For Advance TAFE and Mr Peter Heilbuth: Bernadine Phelan on 0400 113 539