La Trobe University says it has bold plans for its future in Shepparton, including doubling health places as part of a $10.5 million redevelopment and providing key, skilled employees to help ease worker shortages in the region.
Speaking at the university’s graduation day in Shepparton on Tuesday, March 21, La Trobe Vice-Chancellor John Dewar said the tertiary institution’s commitment to the Goulburn Valley would only grow.
“We do see it growing. We have very bold ambitions to double health, health numbers, particularly in nursing here in Shepparton at the moment, we’re constrained by our own facilities and those in the hospital,” Professor Dewar said.
“We’re working on our own to improve our own facilities and in partnership with Goulburn Valley Health to increase joint capacity to take more students through.
“We’re about to start work on an extension of our campus later this year so we’re absolutely planning for a big increase in numbers.”
Professor Dewar said the university was playing a vital role in the future health of the economy.
“It's vital for Shepparton, and it’s vital for any regional centre, to have these bright young people staying in Shepparton and then going out into the local workforce,” he said.
“Eighty per cent of our students will stay on working around the city. That’s absolutely vital for the city and it means we don’t lose them to Melbourne, which is fantastic.”
After more than a decade as vice-chancellor, Professor Dewar will leave the role in January 2024, disappointed that he is yet to see the Federal Government commit to a clinical health school at GV Health.
The $26.5 million project would be a partnership between GV Health and La Trobe University to train nurses, midwives and allied health workers in Shepparton.
“We’ll continue to argue to the new government about the importance of having a facility like that here, because that would really make Shepperton a leading regional centre for nursing and allied health education, and we need those people to be trained and to work here,” Professor Dewar said.
In the meantime, Professor Dewar said the current graduates were likely to already be in demand from employers before they had even received their qualifications.
“All of the students from those degrees will walk into jobs, because there is such a shortage everywhere, particularly here in regional Victoria, of teachers and nurses,” he said.
“So these students will be highly sought after; in fact, most of them have probably already got jobs before they walk across the stage today (Tuesday).”