THE relocation of the University of Tasmania could be one of the most significant construction projects to take place in Launceston in recent years.
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The $300 million build could see the Newnham campus moved close to the heart of the city at Inveresk and a similar move would take place in Burnie.
This is without doubt the most exciting thing I’ve been involved in in my many years of higher education.
- University of Tasmania Provost Mike Calford
Built in 1968, the Newnham campus, in its current state, is undeniably old-fashioned and no longer fit for the learning needs of today’s students.
Students are coming to university for their classes, perhaps sticking around to study, before heading back home.
A sense of community that was once there is starting to fade.
Relocating the university has not been a unanimously popular decision and critics have spoken out against its cost and necessity.
However, there is no denying that something more can be done to increase educational outcomes for young people in our state.
Tasmania has the lowest proportion of education attainment in Australia, with 14 per cent of people aged over 15-years having a bachelor degree or higher.
This is compared to more than 20 per cent of people in Victoria and an average of 19 per cent nationwide.
Just 11 per cent of people in Bass and 7 per cent of people in Braddon had a bachelor degree or higher.
Up to 15,000 eligible young people in our state are missing out on higher education, youth unemployment is high and Tasmanians earn the lowest weekly full-time wage in the nation.
As the world moves forward, the need for education, whether it be a university degree or trade qualification, is becoming greater when entering the job market.
The artist impressions for the new Launceston campus were first revealed in September last year and include two new multi-story buildings at Inveresk and on Willis Street.
The two buildings will be linked by a footbridge.
The Australian Maritime College will remain at the Newnham campus with the opportunity to expand its facilities.
It is estimated the total cost to the Launceston project would be $260 million, while similar works at Burnie are estimated to be about $40 million.
The construction phase would have a $1.1 billion economic output, followed by an output of more than $400 million each year after.
Since the release of the artist impressions, UTAS has provided a more detailed analysis of its plans and the impacts the move would have on students, staff and the wider Tasmanian community.
One building at the new campus is set to include a main teaching space and a library, while the Willis Street building would be home to a research and technology hub.
Overall, the move is estimated to create more than 3000 jobs.
UTAS Provost Mike Calford said although the relocation was still in the proposal stage, he could already imagine the significant impact it could have on Launceston.
“Most of [the Newnham campus] was built between 1968 and 1972 and if you think about that period, we didn’t even conceive of anything like personal computing,” Professor Calford said.
He said he would like to see the university transformed into a community hub, a place where students, staff and visitors alike can come together.
“We need flexible spaces and an environment that is close to where [students] want to be,” Professor Calford said.
“Inveresk is a place where people eat, shop, go to the doctor as well as go there to study, to interact and to use our resources.
“This is without doubt the most exciting thing I’ve been involved in in my many years of higher education.”
UTAS will also introduce associate degrees in an attempt to reach the 3000 students who finished year 12 last year without an ATAR score.
The degrees would not take away from the current bachelor degrees but would offer an alternative, more supported pathway for students into higher education.
The associate degrees would span two years and include 40 teaching weeks a year, compared to the 26 teaching weeks of a bachelor degree.
“There’s no intention to reduce the number of students who are doing bachelor degrees, either locally in Launceston, or in Burnie, or across the system,” Professor Calford said.
“In our modeling, we’re looking at somewhere between 25 and 40 per cent of our students who do the associate degrees come on to do the bachelor degrees.”
The relocation will also introduce a further push for research at the university.
Students, alumni and staff of the university would have the opportunity to research how to take their work to the marketplace to start a small company or to test their ideas in the new research-orientated building.
With the AMC staying on the Newnham site, there will be the opportunity to turn the space into a “tech park”.
“Industries want to be next to the AMC, they want to rent facilities, use the simulators, do their own work there, as well as interact with the staff and students,” Professor Calford said.
“We have a number of companies who want to come in tomorrow and rent space from us and be next to AMC.”
Although funding for the major project is still being determined, Professor Calford said once the university gets the formal go-ahead, developments could start immediately.
