Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate the Tasmanian Skills Institute on the opening of their new Green Skills Centre of Excellence. I recently had the pleasure of opening this magnificent facility and was thrilled to see firsthand the benefits this centre is having for both staff and students at the Skills Institute. The Skills Institute is a major contributor to vocational education in Tasmania. It employs over 400 people, operating from eight training hubs across the state, in trade and technical training. The institute supports businesses and organisations through increasing skills, knowledge and capability of employees, particularly apprentices.

The Green Skills Centre of Excellence is based at the Alanvale campus of the Skills Institute in the magnificent electorate of Bass. This state-of-the-art green star rated facility provides training for a combination of construction, furniture-making and allied trades. The centre will be a base for training apprentices and for upgrading the knowledge and skills of experienced tradespeople.

I was incredibly impressed with the new facilities and the way the green technology has been introduced. I look forward to seeing how this new technology is implemented not only within this building but also as a result of the training programs delivered at the Skills Institute. I congratulate once again the students, the staff and the employees at the Tasmanian Skills Institute.