Cobar TAFE to get an upgrade

A pre-election promise for a new TAFE Connected Learning Centre to be built in Cobar is set to be funded as part of the State Government 2019-2020 Budget announced last week.

As part of the budget, $61.7million is to be spent over the next four years for Tranche 3 of the Connected Learning Centre Program which will see eight new facilities rolled out across the state in Cobar, Byron Bay, Batemans Bay, Hay, Jindabyne, Nambucca Heads, Nelson Bay and West Wyalong.

In March, the then-Minister responsible for TAFE NSW, Adam Marshall, announced the promised funding for Cobar and seven other NSW regional communities.

Minister for Early Childhood Education Sarah Mitchell, on her visit to Cobar earlier this year in February, said the promised new campus would take TAFE’s presence in the region to a whole new level.

“The Nationals are driving a massive expansion of TAFE’s footprint across rural and regional NSW with Cobar set to benefit from a new and state-of-the-art TAFE campus,” Ms Mitchell said.

She said it would “revolutionise training and job opportunities in Cobar and surrounding areas”.

“This new TAFE will allow locals to tap into TAFE’s state-wide network of campuses and courses, ensuring they can complete the training they need to get a job.”