Students in Wodonga will have the opportunity to learn useful vocational skills in the newly opened Victory Lutheran College Trades Skills Centre.

The Victory Lutheran College Trades Skills Centre will allow secondary school students to earn qualifications in construction, furniture making and hospitality.

Senator the Hon Scott Ryan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training, was in Wodonga to officially open the centre, which was built with a $1.5 million contribution from the Australian Government.

The centre incorporates a new commercial kitchen, a construction and furniture making workshop, a machine room and an outdoor construction space.

Senator Ryan ,said,“The Australian Government is committed to ensuring vocational training meets the needs of industry and employers and to providing students with training in areas where there are existing skills shortages,”

This centre highlights the Australian Government’s commitment to training young people in Wodonga and across the country.

The new facilities at Victory Lutheran College Trades Skills Centre will give students the best chance to learn workplace skills.

Skills training at secondary school provide a basis for students to pursue further training after school or to enter the workplace.

For many students, learning a trade will be the key to a job in a wide range of industries, from tourism to construction.

I congratulate the entire school community for its foresight and cooperation to get this centre up and running.