Key regional employers are partnering with the new Port Augusta Technical College to provide fast-tracked career pathways to secondary students living in the state’s north and west.

Employers including, Eyre and Far North Local Health Network (EFNLHN), Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network (FUNLHN), Helping Hand Aged Care, SA Power Networks and Hallett Group have joined BHP in supporting the college, which will open to year 10 and 11 students in term 2, 2025.

The Technical College will house specialist training facilities that will look and operate like industry workplaces.

The employer partners will help shape the training programs and provide job opportunities for young people to address regional skill shortages in health, mining and construction, manufacturing and trade and tourism and hospitality.

Applications are now open for year 9 and 10 students living in the Upper Spencer Gulf, Mid North, Eyre Peninsula, Far North and APY Lands who wish to attend the college in term 2 next year.

The college will offer part-time study options through weekly blocks of industry training before students return to their home school to complete their SACE requirements. Overnight accommodation is available for up to 44 students in the broader region.

Port Augusta Secondary School Principal Simon Owens said, we are eagerly anticipating the opening of the new College.

“There is a lot of local excitement about the opportunities for our students and for students from surrounding regions to take up a pathway that connects them directly to employment”.

“Our school motto is ‘success for all’ and the technical college is another pathway that students can participate in that can set them up for post-school opportunities with local industries”, Owens said.

The technical college will ultimately support students in years 10 to 12 to complete their SACE while undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in specialist state-of-the-art facilities.

The employer partners, which have a combined reach of 730,000 sq km of regional SA, will support students to develop the skills to secure work straight from school or pursue higher education pathways to a career.

Training will be offered in high-demand industries including:

• Health and Social Support - to support training in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, patient care, rehabilitation techniques and infection control.
• Civil, resources and infrastructure - to train students in specialties including earthworks, machinery operation and maintenance, landscaping, and concreting.
• Multi-trades - to prepare students for careers in electrotechnology and sustainability, carpentry, plumbing, boilermaking and engineering.
• Hospitality and Tourism - to provide training in food and beverage service, barista skills, cookery, tourism and website development.

Eyre and Far North Local Health Network Chief Executive Officer Julie Marron said, we believe young people play a crucial role in helping us to provide the best possible healthcare closer to home.

“This is another way we can create a sustainable workforce in the future, while supporting young people to have a meaningful career”.

“This partnership also enables us to have a positive influence on Health and Social Support content delivered by the new Port Augusta Technical College and the opportunity to provide greater pathways for students to finish school with a skilled career in health”, Marron said.

Flinders and Upper Northern Local Health Network Chief Executive Officer Craig Packard said, we are incredibly excited for this new initiative as it will create opportunities for our young people to move into future employment.

“In addition to students from our regional communities of Whyalla and Port Augusta, the short stay accommodation will enable our young people in more remote areas, such as Quorn, Leigh Creek, Hawker, and Roxby Downs to complete their industry training”.

“Importantly, it ensures our young people have the opportunity to learn, live and work in our beautiful region”, Packard said.

While Hallett Group General Manager Operations Craig Cresp expressed, the Hallett Group is thrilled to be supporting the Port Augusta Technical College through its Partnership Agreement with the Government of South Australia.

“With our facility here in Port Augusta that will operate for 40+ years, we look forward to supporting the youth of Port Augusta with future workforce opportunities that are home grown through the Technical College”.

The Port Augusta Technical College is one of five technical colleges – two in regional SA and three in metropolitan Adelaide - being built as part of a $208 million plan to equip students with the workplace skills needed in areas of high-demand.

Read more about Technical Colleges via the Technical Colleges website.