Funding is currently being sought to establish a Connected Universities Centre in the local area, with sites proposed for Deniliquin and Finley.
To support the application, the working group driving the proposal needs local data and pledges of support.
The ambitious target is to raise $1 million through community partnerships, which would then give it the capacity to seek matching funding and support from government.
CUC - Southern Riverina chair Leanne Small said CUCs not only support school leavers to continue their studies locally, but also older community members wishing to upskill or change careers.
She said without the support requested, there is a chance the local application will be overlooked in this round.
“The application will be submitted on October 18, and one of the key things we need is information on the upskilling and reskilling needs of our community,” Mrs Small said.
“We’re asking people to fill out a ‘Business skills gap survey’ to give us information on the needs of our community to support the application.
“The other thing we need is pledges of financial support.
“Government funds are base funds only for operational needs for the first four years of the CUC. So that funding will cover salaries, leases, etcetera.
“The funding may also cover some capital (set up) costs; however, there is an expectation that the community will contribute in some way to those capital costs.
“We’re speaking to possible corporate partners now, but we’d be happy to accept pledges from anyone in the community who wants to support this campaign.
“If someone simply wants to donate $10, we’ll take it.”
The aim of a CUC is to help local people achieve their own ambitions while promoting growth and a thriving economy.
They are run by local not-for-profit organisations who provide dedicated learning, and study spaces equipped with modern facilities and staffed by a dedicated academic support person.
While locations have not been formalised, it is anticipated the CUCs will be co-located with the Deniliquin and Finley TAFE campuses.
Mrs Small and other committee members - Nathan Holahan, Hayley Purbrick, Karina Ewer, David Crew, Julia Druitt, Jeff Ward, Felicity Michael, Deb White and CUC founder Duncan Taylor - are happy to speak with anyone who would like to know more about the project.
They have already started hosting a series of presentations with local groups, which included a presentation to the Deniliquin Business Chamber’s Edward River Council election candidates forum on Tuesday night.
“I spoke before the candidates' forum began, and it was great to hear the candidates show their support for our campaign in their speeches that followed,” Mrs Small said.
“A CUC in our region would be game changing.
“It can be very expensive to go away to study, and data shows us that rural and regional Australians have a lower rate of tertiary uptake because of those challenges.
“Having a CUC locally would provide an opportunity for those unable or unwilling to go away to study in their own community with learning support.
“We also know that some people who choose to go away to study come back for a range of reasons, and having a CUC will support them to continue their studies in an environment where they are more comfortable.
“Our community is experiencing a chronic shortage in early learning educators, health workers, social welfare staff and in other areas - professions which are predominantly women, and we know that 75 per cent of all people who use existing CUCs across the country are women.
“Our region is a renewable energy zone, and there are a lot of renewables projects proposed, each promising high levels of employment. Those schemes will need skilled people.
“And then there’s also the impacts of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and other water policies, and the need for people to be reskilling and upskilling to survive those impacts.
“It is also important to point out that the CUC supports anyone doing further study, whether it’s university, TAFE or even secondary students, who need somewhere with reliable internet and a quiet space with learning support.”
To complete the survey, click here.
For a copy of the community partnerships prospectus or to pledge financial support, contact Mrs Small on 0429 846 670 or email Leanne.small1@icloud.com.
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