Skills booster on campus

THE Federal Government has pledged a $13.1 million boost to Chisholm Institute’s Dandenong campus to address a shortage of skilled workers in the southeastern suburbs.
The cash will be used to immediately start building on campus a Centre for Integrated Engineering and Science (CIES), and finish it by mid2007.
The centre will integrate existing manufacturing and engineering technologies with new and emerging technologies, including precision robotics.
Chisholm Institute’s director and CEO Virginia Simmons believed the new venture was the only one of its kind in Australia.
“The funding announcement is cause for great excitement at Chisholm,” Ms Simmons said.
“It will place the institute at the forefront of being able to respond to new and emerging technologies, and to meet the training needs of the manufacturing and engineering industries.
“At a time of critical skill shortages in the southeast region, the announcement is timely, and the institute will proceed with the building program as a matter of urgency.”
Ms Simmons said the CIES development resulted from intensive overseas and local research.
“Dandenong is the logical place for such a facility as it is in the centre of Victoria and Australia’s manufacturing heartland,” she said.
“About 40 per cent of Victoria’s manufacturing industry is located within a 15 kilometre radius of the City of Greater Dandenong.
“And TAFE is the logical provider of practical training in the skills of the future.”
Ms Simmons said the manufacturing industry had experienced shortages in advanced skill areas for years.
“There is a shortage of multiskilled technicians, especially in the areas of mechatronics, biotechnology, robotics, vacuum technology and clean room operations – specialist training the new CIES will provide.”
She said the CIES facility would look like nothing else seen before in the area.
“The new twostorey, openplan building will be an integrated manufacturing cell with precision manufacturing robots surrounded by specialist training areas.”
Patrick Jones, Chisholm School of Manufacturing and Engineering director, said teaching methods would become even more innovative.
“Industry and Government research has shown an integrated approach is the best way to train future workers in these fields,” Mr Jones said.
“A monofocus, singlediscipline approach is a thing of the past.”
“The integrated training program at CIES will prepare students for the world of work in the modern manufacturing plant, where sound operational knowledge of a number of interconnected processes is essential.”
He said emphasis would be on integrated, projectbased learning which emulates the manufacturing work environment and fosters teamwork and problem solving.
“Individually and in teams, students will use a wide variety of equipment and systems to develop multiple skills across the mechanical, electronic, electrical, computer systems and fluid power disciplines,” Mr Jones said.