General News
12 February, 2025
Region’s fastest growing school has sights set on TAFE
If TAFE Queensland doesn't want to use its Normanton base, the local school is happy to take the keys.
Gulf Christian College principal Andrew Evetts wants the new state government to sell or donate its “white elephant” TAFE campus to his Normanton school, which is growing at a rapid rate.
Mr Evetts says the government should transfer ownership of the campus land and buildings to the college so it could establish senior secondary and adult literacy classes, which would give young people in the region the skills needed for future employment.
The principal said a business case report would be presented to Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates next week, which has been requested by government advisers following initial conversations.
The takeover bid has the full support of Carpentaria Shire Council, with mayor Jack Bawden planning his own delegation to Brisbane next month to lobby on behalf of the college.
As previously reported by North West Weekly, community leaders across the Gulf believe TAFE Queensland has routinely ignored the facility, labelling it a “white elephant” that costs taxpayers money each year to keep a groundsman, campus manager and security on-site without delivering any regular training classes or programs. Mr Evetts said he no longer had the space available at the existing college grounds to cater for the growing number of students and that the TAFE campus takeover was essential to encouraging young people to remain in the education system.
He said GCC had expanded to include senior secondary grades at its school this year, with 25 students enrolled in its combined Year 9-10 classes and seven students enrolled in its initial Year 11 senior intake.
Mr Evetts said the number of students would increase as the college included Year 12 classes in 2026, as well as moving toward its goal of having at least 15 students enrolled in each year level.
He said GCC had decided to provide the only local senior secondary option in the Gulf so young people were not forced to choose between boarding school or dropping out of the education system.
“Our school is expanding, and we do not have enough space on our current grounds – I cannot keep building on our sports grounds,” he told North West Weekly.
“The TAFE campus is not being utilised by the TAFE and it provides the base we need to deliver education options for young people finishing school as well as adults looking to reenter the workforce in the region.”
Mr Evetts said the TAFE campus, which would require extensive renovations due to its current state of disrepair, had two classrooms, a computer room, an amenities block, trade workshop and office space.
He said he would transform the office space into an adult education centre, managed by the GCC as a Registered Training Organisation, which would initially focus on literacy classes.
The classes would require a minimum of two staff, with at least one worker to come from the existing Normanton community.
Mr Evetts said he would also spend more than $3 million to overhaul the workshop area into a trade training centre that could provide local apprenticeship and certificate-level training for a range of occupations.
As previously reported, Gulf apprentices are currently being forced to travel to Mount Isa or Cairns to complete the classroom theory component of their coursework, often at great expense to the businesses they work for.
However, most importantly, Mr Evetts said the campus would provide a permanent location for senior secondary students to finish their schooling while remaining close to family, friends and their community.
“We are going to be able to build up a generation of kids that not only have completed secondary schooling but also have a range of certificate-level training in a range of skills and occupations that are needed in the community,” he said.
“We will then be able to get them into jobs, for example, they can go work for a plumber or an electrician or a mechanic and start their apprenticeships full time or they can go on to university and make a difference that way.
“These will be the future leaders of the community.”
Cr Bawden said he would lead a delegation to parliament during sitting weeks next month to meet with government ministers and lobby for the campus takeover bid.
“I have already had a pretty in-depth discussion with some people in the state government and we are hearing good things from them,” the mayor said.
“The current campus is falling apart, and Andrew and the college are willing to throw some serious dollars to fix the buildings and make it something that will be a great facility for our community.”