The new Bowen TAFE’s Agricultural Centre of Excellence was unveiled today, providing a significant boost to North Queensland’s agricultural sector by helping to upskill its workforce.
Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer stated that the students would have innovative learning opportunities, skills, and routes thanks to the $3.4 million redevelopment of Bowen TAFE.
“This is one of a number of TAFE projects the Palaszczuk Government is delivering in Northern Queensland and throughout Queensland in the next year,” Minister Farmer said.
Minister for Agriculture Industry Development and Fishers and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner stated that Bowen is an ideal site for training to help prepare Queensland’s workforce for the State’s $23.5 billion agriculture industry’s planned growth.
According to Minister Furner, the Queensland Government will continue to invest in equipping TAFE Queensland with the facilities needed to produce a world-class workforce.
“We made a commitment during the 2020 election campaign to create significant training facilities for agriculture, and this Agricultural Centre of Excellence delivers on that promise,” Minister Furner added.
Minister Farmer said the State Government had committed about $280 million in new and upgraded training facilities across Queensland since 2017, with approximately $40 million invested in the North Queensland region.
“The agriculture industry is one of our priority sectors with potential for great growth and will play an important role in diversifying Queensland’s economy and creating jobs,” Minister Farmer stated.
Minister Farmer added that the new facility here in Bowen will offer specialised training to meet the needs of the agriculture industry’s evolving technology as the State Government consider the present and future skills needs.
“In addition to general learning and workshop areas, the Agricultural Centre of Excellence will feature a Smart Centre for data analysation and computerised training technologies,” Minister Farmer said.
According to the Minister, the centre of excellence also features a virtual reality room providing advanced technology for emerging sector needs and a science lab.
“The advanced technology includes a Farmbot for robotics, nutrition, soil science, biology and coding; and there’s a Growpod for monitoring stable growing environments and producing horticultural and agricultural products in all climates,” the Minister added.
Minister Farmer stated that The Rural Centre of Excellence on the Toowoomba TAFE campus would be reachable from the Bowen facility via remotely monitored and controlled technology and equipment.
According to the Minister, the new centre will allow TAFE Queensland to offer Agriculture programs at the Bowen campus for the first time. Minister Farmer said residents have a variety of study areas they can choose from, such as agriculture, production horticulture, rural operations, cybersecurity, and laboratory technologies.
The Minister added that eligible students could also choose from a range of credentials accessible through Fee-Free TAFE financing, such as Certificate III in Rural Operations and Certificate III in Agriculture.
Jobs Queensland forecasts a rise of over 10% in agriculture industry jobs in the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday and Townsville districts from 2020-21 to 2024-25, employing more than 10,300 people.
The state-wide industry workforce is expected to increase to over 87,000 by 2024-25, an increase of 8,700 since 2020-21, and the Queensland Agriculture Industry Workforce Plan 2022-2027 has identified grazing, horticulture, crops, and aquaculture as the four priority groups for future employment growth.
The Bowen TAFE upgrade was funded by the State Government’s Equipping TAFE for our Future initiative. The scheme is a three-year, $100 million investment from 2021 to 2024 that will assist the growth of skills in priority sectors such as manufacturing, trades training, defence, renewable energy, resources, agriculture, and aquaculture.
QBuild and Bowen-based Lowcock Builders executed the project, with BEAT Architects serving as the primary design consultant.
