want higher ed in lilydale? then it’s time to act

There’s a push by key prominent people in the community as well as the Shire of Yarra Ranges to see the Swinburne site in Lilydale continue to be used for education.

A recent community forum saw 200 people come together concerned about access to ongoing higher education for the outer east. Their vision is for a Yarra Valley Education Precinct.

Yarra Ranges Council has been seeking interest from potential education providers with the aim of continuing the delivery of tertiary education and skills training. Part of council’s work includes finalising a masterplan for the site which envisages cultural and community uses to complement the core educational use.

8 Things you can do

The need is apparent, the reason the site was sought in the first place was due to the low retention rates in the outer east, to encourage students to further their studies and provide local employers with a skilled workforce.

The Education Precinct needs a lot of support, not only from council or a small group of organisers, this is a whole of community effort to make sure we keep higher education available in Lilydale.

10 Key things

Forum organisers came up with a nifty list of 8 Things you can do to support further educational opportunities in Yarra Ranges and 10 Key Points for the ongoing provision of a Yarra Valley Education Precinct in Lilydale.

There you’ll find hints on who to speak to, what to say and why it’s important.

And in the broader TAFE4ALL campaign, there’s a short video competition so you can tell everyone why TAFE is awesome. TAFE4ALL are looking for 2–3 minute videos that illustrate the value of TAFE for students and the community.

To find out more you can download a poster here or visit TAFE4All for full details, including terms and conditions. Deadline for entries is October 29.

Win from a total prize pool of $2000. One Victorian TAFE student will also be selected to undertake a two-week internship in Madman's Entertainment's DVD authoring department.

Entrants can submit a short video in any category on the theme "Why TAFE is Awesome". Let your friends and family know that this is a great — and creative — way to support TAFE.

So don’t hold back, time to act, we need to keep higher ed in Lilydale.