The Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence (the Centre or FHC CoE) opened today at Melbourne Polytechnic’s Heidelberg campus.
The Centre is a national hub for industry collaboration, innovation and training in modern methods of construction (MMC) to address Australia’s housing challenges and the need for more affordable, sustainable homes built at speed.
The Centre is being developed and delivered by Melbourne Polytechnic in close collaboration with industry, and with $50 million in funding from the federal and Victorian state governments.
The Centre recently launched its first short course; ‘Rethinking Construction – Introduction to Modern Methods of Construction’, developed with industry partners to introduce workers, trainees and students to prefabrication, modular, and volumetric construction principles and techniques.
The course is a gateway into a suite of new, targeted training and development initiatives, including potential formal qualifications or apprenticeships, to build a skilled workforce ready for modern construction challenges.
CEO of Melbourne Polytechnic, Frances Coppolillo, said the centre is the culmination of an enormous effort by the Melbourne Polytechnic team in collaboration with industry partners.
“By working with partners to drive innovation and address skills gaps, the Centre will help industry to evolve and embrace modern construction methods, making a huge difference as it wrestles with the challenges of how to build more affordable homes for our growing population,” he said.
The opening was attended by Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, and the Victorian Minister for Skills and TAFE, Gayle Tierney.
Damien Crough, Co-founder and executive chair of prefabAUS, said this initiative will support industry as it transitions towards more advanced manufacturing and industrialised construction.
“Building the workforce with skills in modern methods of construction will help the nation deliver affordable housing more quickly, while producing homes that are better equipped to withstand extreme weather and aligned with Australia’s emissions reduction, sustainability and waste minimisation targets," Crough said.
He said the Centre will deliver a suite of short courses, micro-credentials and full qualifications, embedding modern methods of construction into both new offerings and existing training pathways.
“As it evolves, its reach and impacts will extend nationally, providing training and development programs that can be offered by TAFEs and other training and education providers across Australia,” he said.
Shaped by industry, for industry, the FHC CoE is supported by key partnerships across the construction sector including prefabAUS, MBAV, Building 4.0 CRC, BuildSkills Australia, VSA, HIA, Tradeswomen Australia and Empowered Women in Trades that will also help encourage diversity in the MMC sector. More industry partnership opportunities will emerge as the Centre grows and evolves.
Work is also underway to design and build a new, purpose-built showcase facility at the Heidelberg campus, which will serve as a national exemplar of modern methods of construction.
The new facility will include a hands-on demonstration and learning hub, with state-of-the-art spaces for training, applied research, and collaboration between students, educators, and industry partners.
Construction will commence in 2026.