TAFE begins construction of new Docklands campus
15 December 2004
Minister Lynne Kosky turns the first sod at the ACE docklands site watched by Kangan Batman Council President, Ms Anne-Marie Corboy and Director, Mr Ray Griffiths.
Victoria's new Automotive Centre of Excellence at Melbourne's Docklands precinct is officially underway, with the first sod-turning ceremony today by the Minister for Education, Lynne Kosky.
The Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) will become the new campus for all of Kangan Batman TAFE's automotive training over the next five years.
"ACE will be a focal point for the Victorian automotive industry, bringing together automotive training and research and development in the one precinct, the first and largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere," Minister Kosky said.
Kangan Batman TAFE CEO, Mr Ray Griffiths said the construction of ACE was an important milestone both for the automotive industry and for Kangan Batman TAFE, which is the largest provider of automotive training in Victoria.
The ACE centre will be built on a prime 1.3 hectare site, bounded by Batman Drive and Wurundjeri Way, and bisected by the Collins Street extension . It is adjacent to the existing Fox Classic Car Collection in historic Queens Warehouse. Its low-rise buildings will be technologically advanced, using cutting edge materials and equipment. The Docklands site provides a central and easily accessible location for metropolitan and country students and others working in the automotive industry.
ACE has been planned with guidance from the automotive industry and will have facilities for university research and development. A significant area is planned for other, related uses to make it a major player in the future of the industry in Australia.
"Activities at the Automotive Centre of Excellence will be guided by the Sustainability covenant we have signed with the EPA," Mr Griffiths said. "Use of motor vehicles in our society is a source of environmental impact, and our training programs can make a difference in reducing this," he added.
"The Automotive Centre of Excellence buildings will have the highest possible energy rating. Teachers and students at the site will be working in a precinct where environmental considerations are of primary importance," Mr Griffiths said.
"Kangan Batman TAFE is proud to be a leading player in the development of ACE," General Manager of automotive training, Mr Phill Murphy, said. "We are piloting new approaches to heavy vehicle training at Kangan Batman TAFE, and being the best in Australia at automotive training is our aim."
Proposals for shared use of later stages of ACE with industry groups, individual companies and universities include: an automotive industry showcase; an automotive management education centre; an automotive design centre; or an automotive industry centre which would house key industry associations and host conferences and seminars.
Further information on the innovative ACE development can be found at a new website: www.aceauto.com.au
