New trade training facilities officially open in Rockhampton

The CQUniversity Rockhampton North TAFE Centre of Excellence has reached a new milestone with the official opening of the Centre for Building Excellence.  

The $10.2 million project was officially opened by Member for Keppel Nigel Hutton and represents the first stage in establishing a new TAFE Centre for Excellence on CQUniversity’s Rockhampton North campus.

The Centre for Building Excellence is a purpose facility to deliver trades training within construction related disciplines including bricklaying, cabinetmaking, carpentry and plumbing. 

The new 2330 square metre centre can accommodate more than 350 students per year and 65 students on any given day – doubling previous capacity for construction trades in the region. 

It includes a large outdoor practical construction space, along with an open plan indoor workshop, classrooms, staff spaces and meeting rooms, general amenities, student breakout spaces, and more than $1.5 million worth of tools and equipment.

CQUniversity’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Nick Klomp said the centre was a key milestone in establishing new world-class training facilities in Central Queensland.  

 “More than a decade after CQUniversity became Queensland’s first and only dual sector university, we are excited to be opening Stage 1 of the Rockhampton North Centre of Excellence which will be officially known as the Centre for Building Excellence,” Professor Klomp said.  

“The delivery of this facility also couldn’t have come at a better time – with a growing workforce in Central Queensland and the construction sector set to be the region’s fourth largest employer by 2027–28.  

“This is a key milestone for the University and for consolidating all training and higher education facilities in Rockhampton.  

“With funding now committed to Stage 2 we are well and truly on the way to establishing purpose-built trade training and vocational education facilities for several disciplines. 

“The new facilities and delivery of new tools and learning resources will help to ensure we are delivering high quality, industry relevant training that will benefit apprentices and students, and their current and future employers.”  

The new Centre for Building Excellence was supported by $8.4 million of Queensland Government funding under the Equipping TAFE for our Future (ETFOF) program, with CQUniversity contributing $1.8 million. 

Queensland-based builder WHF Group led construction of the Centre for Building Excellence, supporting up to 100 jobs. 

The Crisafulli Government has committed $61.1 million to construct Stage 2 of the Rockhampton North TAFE Centre of Excellence – which will incorporate specialised training facilities for a number of key trades and vocational study areas.

New facilities delivered as part of the Rockhampton North TAFE Centre of Excellence will cater for vocational education and training demand at CQUniversity in Rockhampton, which is forecast to increase by 8.6 per cent by 2030.  

Full completion of the Rockhampton North TAFE Centre of Excellence will deliver capacity to offer an additional 500 to 800 vocational education and training places in the Rockhampton region.