Chisholm Dandenong will be one of 12 Victorian TAFEs to receive vital upgrade works under a $55 million funding maintenance package, thanks to the State Government.

Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, today announced that Chisholm Dandenong would receive more than $6.8 million in funding under the TAFE Asset Maintenance Fund as part of a state-wide construction blitz to carry out essential upgrades to learning facilities, amenities and carparks, as well as to re-fit existing learning spaces to make them more adaptable to deliver more courses.

This proposal will reconfigure and refurbish the 36-year-old Dandenong Trade areas at Buildings J, K, L, U and P and establish the Dandenong Trade Centre that will focus on adaptive and flexible learning spaces, and rationalisation of space increasing overall capacity.

The funding will also refurbish Building F to provide a dedicated student lounge space alongside holistic, wrap-around support, empowering students to remain engaged in study, reducing attrition rates and strengthening career readiness and employability.

All Victorian TAFEs will share in the funding through the TAFE Asset Maintenance Fund, with projects to be delivered in Geelong, Gippsland, Mildura, Warrnambool, Shepparton, Seymour and metropolitan Melbourne.

This is investment is on top of an addition to $48.8 million for asset maintenance through the Stronger TAFE fund.

The $55 million investment announced today is part of the $1.81 billion announced by the Government for critical education infrastructure projects for schools and early childhood to help drive the state’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government is giving Victorians the skills the state needs to respond to the pandemic and prepare for recovery. An extra 18,000 Victorians will be able to train at TAFEs and Learn Locals under a $163 million package of new measures, which includes an expansion of Government’s signature Free TAFE program to prepare the state’s economic recovery from the Coronavirus crisis.