Federation University has unveiled a plan to grow its Wimmera Campus into a vibrant "hub" with a central focus on indigenous reconciliation and sustainability.
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The 2022-2025 Campus Vision was launched on Wednesday, January 19 by Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Duncan Bentley.
Mr Bentley said the plan set out a "clear way forward" for Federation Univesity to "build a strong and sustainable future across all the regions it serves".
"Our Wimmera campus will become a vibrant hub for engagement and research," Mr Bentley said.
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"Through technology, we will be able to offer both vocational and higher education across the Wimmera with a central focus there on indigenous reconciliation and sustainability.
"The campus will be upgraded with contemporary sustainability features to improve its efficiency and its use, both by students and the communities.
"The Wimmera is absolutely booming; there is a huge demand for skills and jobs... we will integrate to locate secondary schools so we get the pipeline from school right through into the jobs that employers need.
"It is critical to drive that employment pipeline to support the Wimmera's growth."
The University said it aimed to "embrace innovative forms of education delivery to prepare students for jobs of the future" through programs and courses that will drive economic growth and jobs.
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New technologies will be used to connect classrooms, people, and communities in new and productive ways.
In Horsham, the Wimmera Campus will celebrate its role as a learning hub and will host a research presence aligned with Federation's Research Strategy. It will be upgraded with contemporary sustainability features to improve its efficiency and utilisation.
"We are positioning Wimmera Campus to grow TAFE and work more closely with local industry to meet the skills needs of the region, while maintaining a continued commitment to higher education and research," Mr Bentley said.
"Today we start an important conversation with our communities in the Wimmera, government, industry partners, staff and students on what Federation University means to them and how we can grow together."
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Projects highlighted in the Campus Vision for the university's Wimmera Campus include developing an accessible ground floor, multipurpose, shared library, and after-hours study spaces on the campus and creating "Places of Being" to create a welcoming, relaxed connection to Country and bringing indigenous knowledge and traditions into the heart of the campus.
Other projects include refurbishing and expanding engineering workshops with new equipment and recognising the importance of local manufacturing to the area to further develop opportunities for local employment.
To help drive these changes, a new Campus Director position has been created that will sit as part of Federation TAFE's executive team in place of the former Head of Campus Wimmera role.
Federation University will look to fill the "dynamic" role in early 2022, applications are still open.
This addition of the role reflected the university's focus on "working closely with local industry to grow our TAFE offerings", ensuring they are aligned with local demand, according to a statement issued by the university.
Federation University will be seeking community feedback on the Campus Vision through community consultation sessions in early 2022.
The release of the Federation University Campus Vision comes after announcements of redundancies and changes to course structures at the university in 2021.
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