With Peel pubs, clubs, restaurants and tourism hotspots busier than ever before, the McGowan government announced a new hospitality and tourism training centre on Wednesday, which is set to be built at South Metropolitan TAFE's Mandurah campus.
The $9.17 million investment, which is a part of the $229.2 million Rebuilding our TAFEs plan, will improve the Peel region's capacity to train job-ready, highly skilled chefs, front of house staff, and events management and tourism workers.
After speaking with dozens of excited Mandurah TAFE students, Premier Mark McGowan said the new hospitality and tourism training centre would provide more job opportunities for Peel residents.
"We have some great hospitality and tourism centres in the metro area but we don't have one in the southern suburbs so clearly there is a gap and we want to make sure we fix that," he said.
"This has been on the TAFE's list of things to do for a long time and obviously the stimulus package provides us with the opportunity to fix that and make sure people in Mandurah, Rockingham, and the South West have these opportunities.
"We just want to make sure we have the best of training facilities and we also get people out there building these training facilities."
Replacing an ageing home economics-style room, the centre will focus on training apprentice chefs and engaging local secondary students, young people and the long-term unemployed in vocational education and training.
When asked why the facility was being built in Peel, Mandurah MP David Templeman said the region was becoming an increasingly popular tourism destination.
"Mandurah and Peel is the largest day tripper destination from outside the metropolitan area," he said.
"Over 1.5 million come from the metro area and other parts for day trips - We want to grow night stays here in the region and our tourism has a great product to deliver and so hospitality goes hand in hand with that.
"This facility will make sure that young people and those seeking a career path in hospitality can be trained here, work locally and of course acquire the skills they can utilise in a whole range of hospitality ventures in the future."
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The Mandurah TAFE Hospitality and Training Centre is part of a record $167.3 million investment in capital works projects, which will see five Western Australian TAFE colleges significantly upgraded.
This investment follows the state government's slashing of TAFE fees by up to 72 per cent on an additional 39 high priority courses, and 15 free short courses made available to up-skill students and provide pathways to full qualifications.
Construction on the training centre is set to commence early next year.
