Victoria’s La Trobe University welcomed the 16 November announcement by the Australian Government that it will establish a Suburban Study Hub in Melbourne’s northern suburbs of Epping and Broadmeadows. The study hub will enable more students in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions to have access to higher education.
La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell says that doubling participation and attainment in higher education by 2050, as outlined in the Universities Accord, is only possible with significant effort and generational change, and that the new Suburban Study Hub in Melbourne’s north will play an important part is fulfilling that goal.
With projections that Melbourne’s outer north will accommodate an additional 102,000 homes by 2060, he says La Trobe University is committed to working with the estimated 318,000-plus people that will make up that growing community to ensure they have the training and skills they need.
Farrell says he is “delighted” that the Australian Government has committed to establishing the Northern Suburbs Study Hub – subject to negotiation of a final grant funding amount from the Department of Education.
“By providing access to resources beyond ordinary business hours and fostering an environment of academic support, our ambition is for the hub to play a crucial role in building readiness and aspiration for tertiary-level study, including for disadvantaged communities, as well as helping to meet critical skills needs in the region,” he says.
“We look forward to working in collaboration with the Government and our partners to finalise the arrangements. Today’s announcement is another step to supporting students in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.”
