Media Release
July 13, 2009
Technical College set to build in MI Business Precinct of CBDRobina
Construction has now commenced on $10 million purpose-designed premises to house Gold Coast City’s trade skills students have come to fruition two and a half years after the acquisition of land for the facility.
Construction of the building, in which trade skills students are set to play a role, began on February 22nd on land within the 4.2ha M1 Business Precinct at CBDRobina.
The precinct is being developed by Robina Projects Australia and is a strategically located central-city precinct adjacent to the Pacific Highway where businesses can acquire land and establish purpose-designed facilities.
The Australian Industry Trade College facility (formerly the Australian Technical College – Gold Coast) will front Scottsdale Drive and will become home to the city’s trade skills students who at present are based at a temporary campus at Reedy Creek.
The facility, due for completion late this year, will occupy 2000 square metres of a 6000 square metre parcel acquired by the College in July, 2007.
The College was one of 28 such specialist facilities established across Australia by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to counter skills shortages.
It provides training in the construction, hospitality, automotive and engineering trades.
The College is open to Year 11 and Year 12 students and this year enrolled 150 apprentices across more than 30 trades.
Also last year, the college’s first graduates completed their studies and of the 150 students some 138, or 92 per cent, went on to complete their school-based apprenticeships under full-time employment.
Student numbers will remain around 300 when the new facility welcomes its first students for the 2011 school year.
The College building has been designed by Amy Degenhart, of Design Forum Architects, and will be built by Alder Constructions, who won the construction contract following a tender campaign conducted in 2008.
Alder Constructions managing director Greg Alder said the project would provide on-site training opportunities for college students.
“They will form much of the construction team and, under the guidance of experienced tradesmen, will have the opportunity to put the knowledge they have learnt into practice,” he said.
“We expect college students to be a significant factor in the construction workforce.”
The building, featuring a porte cochere, will provide more than 1,600 square metres of usable floorspace and will include administration facilities, learning areas, amenities and a canteen.
The tilt-panel, concrete-slab building will have a lightweight metal roof and incorporate a range of environmental features including rainwater-harvesting for landscape irrigation and other non-consumption uses, louvres for natural ventilation and energy-efficient lighting.
It will generate its own electricity energy via solar panels that will feed any excess energy into the national grid.
Stormwater features will include bio-retention areas and pollutant traps.
The building will make extensive use of glass and incorporate cladding and lighting features.
College Chief Executive Officer, Mark Hands said the College had an important role to play in delivering work skills and opportunities and, since being established in February, 2006, had provided training to some 500 students.
He said about 700 employers now worked with the College to provide on-the-job training for college apprentices.
“Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of Year 11 and Year 12 students who want a career in the trades,” he said.
“As well as working towards achieving their Queensland Certificate of Education, College students are able to complete up to 30 per cent of their apprenticeship training by the time they graduate.
“Students leave the campus to learn their trades in an industry of choice, spending four weeks on campus in a classroom situation, then four weeks in the workplace.
“In addition to their chosen trade, students study Mathematics, English, Business, and Information Technology.
“The construction start not only assures the long-term future of the college, but also delivers a range of career paths for the Gold Coast’s young people, ensuring the city’s need for trade skills is met.
“The trades presently fulfilling occupations, involve extensive skills learning and high levels of commitment and responsibility and I am delighted that trade students will at last have a purpose-designed facility.”
“After more than two years in the planning, it is thrilling to know the building will soon be under construction.”
Mr Hands, who trained as a molecular geneticist and whose 20-year career spans both the teaching and construction industries, said CBDRobina’s M1 Business Precinct had been chosen as the site for the college because of its strategic, central-city location and the ease of bus, road and rail access.
“Transport options for M1 Business Precinct and the trade college have been greatly improved with the opening of the Varsity Lakes train station, located just one kilometre from the precinct. The site of the college within the business precinct also offers high visibility to traffic on both Scottsdale Drive and the M1.” Mark said.
“Robina is the centre of the Gold Coast’s future business growth and it is also known as an educational precinct,” he said.
Lots in the M1 Business Precinct are available for purchase by owner-occupiers and are being marketed by Ian Rogers and Marcus Weld, of Robina Marketing Australia.
Download article as it appeared in the Gold Coast Bulletin
