The $3.36 million upgrades to Gunnedah TAFE will start in two weeks, Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee announced on Wednesday.
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Dr Lee took a tour of the campus with Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson, Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey, TAFE representatives and Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce's Michael Broekman.
They were given a run-through of which buildings would be updated and how they would look by TAFE services co-ordinator Ashleigh Foster.
The work is expected to finish by the first day of classes in 2020.
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Cr Chaffey said the building modifications would put the necessary equipment in so the TAFE could "run the right courses [Gunnedah] needs".
"This year is the first year in more than 10 that we've run boilermaker courses at TAFE [and] with great success it's back," Cr Chaffey said.
"There'll be a whole suite of new apprenticeship courses, and also pre-employment and pre-apprenticeship courses that may be designed with industry to make sure it's meeting the needs of this community into the future."
Mr Anderson said the upgrades would "no doubt enhance the training, vocational and educational opportunities" for locals.
"What we've got to do is provide absolutely every opportunity for people to stay, train and gain work in a regional centre like Gunnedah," he said.
"I think, given the quality of ... the facilities, the staff and the equipment that will be here, it will attract people. We will become a destination for vocational education and training."
The MP said local businesses that had pushed for the upgrades now needed to use the facility.
"It will be the best facility around, and we think it's rolled gold for Gunnedah in terms of what we've got to do to protect our training facilities and promote jobs [and] economic regional development," Mr Anderson said.
Dr Lee said the upgrades would allow Gunnedah TAFE to "grow as a world-class, innovative and flexible public provider".
"The new facilities will support the delivery of a wider range of courses for local students, and flexible, distance learning will be easier than ever before with an upgrade to ICT infrastructure in learning spaces," Dr Lee said.
Mr Anderson announced the funding in June as part of the 2019-2020 state budget.