The Kimberley region’s vital tourism and hospitality industries are set to benefit from a new training centre at North Regional TAFE’s Broome campus. Training Minister Simone McGurk visited the campus to officially open the $11.8 million Hospitality and Student Services Centre.
Designed locally by Engawa Architects and constructed by Broome building company H&M Tracey, the project consists of two new state-of-the-art buildings, linked by an outdoor meeting place, creating a community-feel for students. The project consists of a purpose-built hospitality and tourism training centre, complete with a live-works training restaurant, commercial kitchen and alfresco café and a hair and beauty training facility, delivering industry-standard practice with dedicated spaces for simulated training.
The upgrade also includes the redevelopment of the administration building to provide additional space for student and corporate services. The new facilities will help meet demand for staff in the hospitality and tourism industries across the region and attract international students to study in the region. The WA State Government is investing $243.3 million to upgrade facilities at TAFE colleges across Western Australia, including regional areas around the State.
Training Minister Simone McGurk said “As we approach the Kimberley region’s peak tourism season, it is fantastic to know that students are training in world-class facilities that will deliver the skills to ensure they are job-ready. The Broome campus is the largest training facility in the Kimberley region, with more than 1,000 students enrolled in training so far this year. North Regional TAFE has four campuses receiving major upgrades as part of the record $243.3 million investment upgrading TAFEs across Western Australia, allowing more people in the regions to train locally.”