The Ballarat region’s education and early learning sectors will receive major improvements in 2017.
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The construction of a new tech school – one of 10 across the state – is set to begin early in the year and will be complemented by state budget-funded upgrades to Ballarat Secondary College, Delacombe Primary School, Phoenix P-12 College, Beaufort Secondary College and Bacchus Marsh College.
Works are also scheduled to start this year on the Lucas Integrated Children’s Centre as well as the Bonshaw Integrated Children’s Centre.
Education Minister James Merlino said more than $20 million has been invested into education facilities in the region over the past two state budgets.
“Ballarat residents will see work starting on plenty of exciting local school and kindergarten upgrade projects in coming months and it will also be home to one of ten new tech schools being established in Victoria,” Mr Merlino said.
“This will include a boost to local kindergarten infrastructure, with the delivery of great integrated childcare centres located near schools. These integrated centres will provide a single convenient location for families to access early childhood education and care, health and development and family services.”
Headlining the upgrades is a $6 million allocation to the Ballarat Secondary College’s Wendouree campus for a new arts/crafts space, canteen, and student lounge, while $3 million has been set for classroom refurbishment as well as refurbishment to administration, arts/crafts, library, science areas and the VCE Centre.
Meanwhile, the third stage of the Phoenix P-12 Community College upgrade is set to start early in the year and will see a new learning precinct fitted to accommodate students from years five through to 12.
Science, art/music and IT facilities facilities at the Beaufort Secondary College are also set for upgrades, while Bacchus Marsh College buildings are set for modernisation, alongside the construction of a new year nine centre.