By JESSE GRAHAM
LILYDALE’S former Swinburne campus is one step closer to re-opening, after the government announced it was officially requesting proposals from providers for the site.
On Monday 15 June, Minister for Skills and Training Steve Herbert joined Education Minister and Deputy Premier James Merlino and Swinburne Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson at the former university site to announce the government was opening a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
Mr Herbert said that, over the next six weeks, TAFE and dual-sector university providers would be invited to put forward their proposals, outlining the services they would provide at the site if accepted.
“There are criteria in that proposal,” he said.
“It is assessed firstly on educational grounds, which is important… and secondly on value for money, to ensure whoever comes in and re-opens this facility does it with the intention of educating and educating locals at the very core of what this place will be.”
Monbulk MP James Merlino said that the site would also house the new Yarra Ranges Technical School, outlined in the recent State Budget.
He said that the technical school would mean students from Years 7-12 could use the facilities and interact with TAFE and university students, in a model based off Swinburne’s Wantirna campus.
Bidders for the site will also be asked to include strategies to address youth unemployment and disadvantage by providing training that will assist in job seeking and further education.
Prior to the State Election, Mr Merlino and Premier Daniel Andrews met with supporters at the padlocked Swinburne campus gates to promise the site would re-open for TAFE and university classes if Labor was elected – Mr Merlino said the announcement was the first step to fulfil that promise.
“We made a commitment, not just to re-open this campus, not just to replicate what was here before, but to make it bigger and better than it ever was before,” Mr Merlino said.
“We made a commitment to return higher education to this campus, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“For me, as a local member, the single most important thing I ever do in my career, is to re-open this facility.”
Mr Merlino said the community feedback had been included in the documentation, to ensure bidders knew the local expectations for the site, which closed in 2013.
Yarra Ranges Council representatives joined community members and members of the Yarra Valley Educational Precinct Committee for the announcement.
Mr Herbert said classes would be expected to start in early 2016.
Evelyn MP, Christine Fyffe, said that she hoped the timeline was accurate, to stop local students from missing another round of enrolments at the closed campus.
“I hope the minister’s optimism is justified and we have courses detailed and ready to go before the end of this year so that local students don’t miss another enrolment season,” she said in a statement.
