Joint Wodonga TAFE chief executive and Goulburn Ovens TAFE acting chief executive Phil Paterson announced the two institutions had entered the planning stage of a merger.
“Wodonga TAFE and GOTAFE have a strong history of collaboration, including a joint CEO arrangement, and have now agreed to enter a planning phase with the intent to voluntarily merge,” Mr Paterson said.
“This is a board-led decision aimed at strengthening regional education delivery, deepening industry connections, and improving access to training across northern, central and north-eastern Victoria.”
Mr Paterson confirmed there would be no campus closures or redundancies from the merger.
“Strong guardrails have been agreed unanimously by both boards, including brand retention, no forced redundancies as a direct result of the merger, and no campus closures,” he said.
GOTAFE and Wodonga TAFE’s focus remains on student experience across both organisations, which they said staff members were key to.
The announcement was made by Mr Paterson and GOTAFE chair Candy Broad at the Captain’s Table Luncheon held by the Committee for Greater Shepparton on Friday, May 16.
GOTAFE was established with the merger of Goulburn Valley Institute of TAFE and Wangaratta Institute of TAFE on October 1, 1996.
It now has an operating revenue of about $90 million and more than 7000 students.
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