Bendigo TAFE is embarking on an ambitious five year project to create a regional training hub for refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC).
Although this TAFE only began RAC training for apprentices three years ago, program coordinator, Craig Fox, is confident Bendigo can provide a wide range of pre-vocational options and career pathways to students without them being forced to travel to capital cities.
“We are only in the early stages of development but we have a lot of support from management and industry to make this happen,” he said.
“It's a huge endeavour and will take a few years to establish but demand for RAC expertise in regional Victoria is high.
“We expect dramatic growth in the region and the cost of sending apprentices to the city is prohibitive.”
Fox said many students do not recognise the value of RAC as a great career option.
“We want to create career pathways for our apprentices so that they can continue into engineering or facilities management, they don't have to stay static in the same role forever,” he said.
“Some kids think getting a trade is a second prize but RAC is a real career that can take you anywhere in the world.”
With industry support, Fox said Bendigo TAFE can provide regional training options for employers.
“Hopefully employers will eventually see us as a regional training facility that they can use; we can even offer dedicated manufacturing training on specific products,” he said.
“The industry is changing rapidly so attaching sustainability to RAC training is of utmost importance.
“We need to ensure our training taps into the changes that are taking place across industry. We invite industry to make contact and support this initiative.”