Inquiry into Student Pathways to In-Demand Industries

Executive Summary

The Committee for Greater Shepparton welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Inquiry into Student Pathways to In-demand industries.

Established in 2013, the Committee for Greater Shepparton (C4GS) is an apolitical, not-for-profit member-based and member-funded organisation. ​We bring together more than 100 business, public and community organisations from across the Goulburn Valley to drive positive change in and for our community and our region.

Our members are located across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Greater Shepparton, Campaspe and Moira including the towns of Cobram, Shepparton, Mooroopna, Tatura, and Kyabram. Our members are united in their passion for a positive, inclusive and prosperous future for our regional communities.

C4GS’s submission has been informed by ongoing discussions with our broader membership, and specifically our Manufacturers Forum, HR Networking group and Agribusiness and Finance Forum. Each forum is a subset of our membership that meets monthly and brings together leaders from our local industry.

Our response recognises that our region’s residents do not enjoy the same level of education access compared with our peer cities. However, we see these gaps as timely opportunities for our region to springboard forward with new models of delivery, tightly integrated with local industry, and finely tuned to the rapidly evolving needs in health, manufacturing, agriculture, construction and retail.  

Our confidence is buoyed by the proven collaboration between our existing education providers, the recent completion of the Munarra Centre and the underlying culture of cooperation and innovation that defines Greater Shepparton’s industry and community.

We welcome the opportunity to expand on our ideas with the Inquiry members at a future time,

Linda Nieuwenhuizen CEO

Committee for Greater Shepparton

About the Greater Shepparton Economy

Greater Shepparton stands as Victoria’s fifth-largest regional centre and a pivotal hub in the Goulburn Valley, often known as “Australia’s Food Bowl.” The region supports approximately 67,000 people locally, servicing a broader catchment population of about 250,000 spanning the wider Goulburn Valley and southern New South Wales.

Greater Shepparton is the most culturally and linguistically diverse community with almost one in five residents born overseas, and a younger median age. More than half the world’s nations live in Shepparton with over 90 different nations.

Approximately 17.6% of residents speak a language other than English at home, with languages such as Punjabi, Arabic, Italian, and Hazaraghi being common, which is higher than the state average.

The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Shepparton is about 3.3%, significantly above Victoria's average of 1.0% and the largest First Nations community outside Melbourne.

Shepparton and Mooroopna function as one city, situated on Victoria’s largest river, the Goulburn River. Most education services are concentrated in Shepparton.

Major Employers and Industry Sectors:

The local economy is characterised by a diverse range of predominantly small to medium enterprises across multiple sectors including agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, health care, retail trade, construction, and logistics.

The regional economy’s engine room is value-adding and manufacturing, largely driven by the significant primary production sector but also processing raw products transported to the region. Manufacturing generates $5.5 billion annually, employs more than 6,000 people, and injects over $500 million in wages and salaries into the local economy. Advanced manufacturing and automation continue to transform the skills and workforce employed in this sector.

Prominent companies such as SPC Global, Unilever, Tatura Milk Industries, Rubicon Water, Gouge Linen and GV Health are major employers within their industries.

Health and care services are the largest employment sector, with Greater Shepparton acting as a hub for a wide range of health and specialist services for a region extending from the outskirts of Melbourne to the southern Riverina in New South Wales.

Key education providers include La Trobe University Shepparton Campus and GOTAFE, which are central to workforce development in the region.

Trends in Industry Transformation:

The Greater Shepparton economy is undergoing significant transformation driven by automation, electrification, and digitisation, impacting traditional industries and creating demand for new skills:

• Agriculture and Food Processing: Increasing rollout of robotic harvesting, precision irrigation systems powered by advanced water management technology, and automated packing and processing lines are modernising production and requiring new technical skills.

• Health Care: In addition to digital health records and telehealth, there is growing demand for skills supporting home-based hospital care and aged care services. This includes proficiency with medical technologies and remote monitoring to deliver patient-centred care in home and community settings, reflecting shifts toward integrated, technology-enabled health models. These emerging needs require targeted training pathways to equip the regional workforce accordingly.

• Local Health Service Networks and Workforce Pipeline: Local health service networks, including GV Health as the lead health service in the Hume Network, represent a significant opportunity and imperative to bolster the local health workforce pipeline. Strengthening partnerships and targeted training initiatives within these networks are essential for sustaining and expanding specialist care services in the region.

• Food Manufacturing Innovation and Skilled Workforce Needs: The evolving food manufacturing sector relies heavily on innovation and new product development to produce higher-value products that enhance competitiveness. There is a growing demand for a skilled workforce equipped with expertise in food technology and related STEM fields to drive this critical transformation and support the development of advanced, value-added food products.

• Manufacturing & Construction:  Introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies—including robotics, automation, and smart manufacturing techniques—call for skilled workers versed in mechatronics, electrical engineering, and modern fabrication.

• Energy Sector: Distributed energy generation and storage initiatives are gaining momentum, requiring expertise in renewable energy systems, grid integration, and related electrical engineering fields.

  
  

These technological shifts necessitate rapidly adaptable vocational and tertiary education platforms to reskill and upskill the local workforce, ensuring alignment with sector evolution and regional economic needs.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Limited Local Study Options: Despite a diverse economy, Greater Shepparton currently offers limited local tertiary and vocational education in critical future-focused fields such as specialised engineering (civil, electrical, mechanical), allied health sub-disciplines (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology), advanced sciences, and digital technologies. This lack forces many local students to relocate, commonly to Melbourne, increasing personal and financial burdens and contributing to potential regional brain drain.

  
  

• High Relocation Costs for Regional Students: Regional students who move to Melbourne face annual expenses ranging between approximately $49,000 and $67,500, comprising accommodation, living costs, monthly return travel, and vehicle running expenses. By contrast, students able to study at home in Shepparton incur substantially lower annual costs in the range of $7,200 to $10,300, demonstrating a significant affordability disparity. These costs do not include course fees.

  
  

• Fragmented Economic Base: The predominance of small to medium enterprises dispersed across sectors complicates coordination for student placement opportunities and the tailored delivery of training aligned to regional needs. There is a clear requirement for a collaborative platform to unify workforce demand signals and facilitate scalable, effective work-integrated learning pathways.

  
  

• Supervisory Capacity Constraints: The critical shortage of senior supervisors for example in specialist medical disciplines, where clinical placements are essential for student progression. The limited availability of senior supervisors in specialist areas constrains the expansion of high-level clinical training opportunities. This supervisory bottleneck directly restricts the throughput of graduates into critical specialist roles demanded by the regional health workforce.

  
  

• Rapidly Changing Skills Demand: Emerging technologies such as electrification, automation, robotics, Industry 4.0 manufacturing, and distributed energy systems are rapidly transforming local industries, compelling education and training providers to develop agile, responsive programs that meet evolving skills necessities.

  
  

• Transport and Accessibility Issues: Students travel from across the Goulburn Valley to Shepparton for education and training, yet current public transport services are limited. There is a pressing need to enhance coordination, expand routes, and better align transport schedules with educational timetables to reduce barriers. The growing influx of students from Melbourne’s northern suburbs, especially in nursing and allied health courses, further underscores the need for robust transport connectivity and targeted subsidies.

Recommendations

• Expand Local and Regional Course Offerings: The expansion of local course offerings can leverage the success of existing collaborations between Shepparton’s TAFEs and universities. There is also opportunity for local industry and professional/accreditation bodies to support local universities like La Trobe University that currently offers a wide range of online Undergraduate degrees in courses including Arts, Business, Accounting, Psychology, IT, Cybersecurity with the students supported by the Shepparton Campus, to extend this model to courses that have greater hands on demands and in doing so introduce additional programs and micro-credentials in engineering, allied health, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and digital technologies, leveraging established articulation pathways and shared resources to increase local access to high-demand qualifications.

  
  

• Needs based funding to meet higher costs of regional delivery: As recognised in the Australian Universities Accord and documented in the Deloitte Access Economics report, "Cost of delivery of higher education," the cost of delivering higher education in regional areas is significantly higher than in metropolitan areas, estimated to be at least 17% greater for regional students. This increase is largely attributed to smaller student cohorts—which limit economies of scale—higher fixed infrastructure and staffing costs that cannot be effectively spread over fewer students, and a greater need for student support services due to the unique characteristics of regional student populations.  Regional TAFE and vocational education providers face significantly higher per-student costs due to small cohort sizes, fixed operational expenses, and greater needs for student support—challenges similar to those seen in regional universities.

  
  

• Pilot Innovative Education Delivery Models: Develop and trial hybrid, remote, and work-integrated learning models that reduce relocation costs and accommodate the lifestyles of regional students. Pilot projects should draw on successful examples such as:

  •  The Transgrid–Charles Sturt University Partnership: This innovative "2 + 2" engineering degree structure involves two years of on-campus followed by two years of paid industry cadetships (four days per week) combined with one day of online study. Supported by a $2 million Engineering Scholarship Fund providing $20,000 scholarships to approximately 100 engineering students over the course duration, this model embeds hands-on industry experience with academic learning, specifically aligned to infrastructure and clean energy sector requirements. Providing scholarships at scale and across time also reduces risks CSU.

  • The German Dual Apprenticeship and Manufacturing Model: Industry bodies such as chambers of commerce and trade associations collaborate closely with education providers to co-develop curricula, establish training standards, and accredit courses. This tight integration ensures apprenticeships combine formal education with extensive in-company practical training, supported by scholarships and subsidised pathways, resulting in a highly skilled workforce adaptable to ongoing technological advances.

    
    

• Establish Industry-Education Collaboration Brokers: Provide funding for trusted and well-networked local organisations to provide services that can aggregate diverse employer workforce demands and coordinate student placements across sectors, thereby enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of local training initiatives. This brokering role would ultimately transition to a platform – potentially a place-based application of the AI-driven enterprise tools - and will enable improved communication and collaboration among employers, training providers, and students, ensuring training aligns closely with real-world workforce needs. The brokering role will also provide an much needed capability to design new experiences of work to replace the increasingly outdated work experience approaches that are no longer fit for purpose or too onerous for smaller entities to support.

• Develop Dedicated Education and Industry Precincts: Key industry partners and training providers are already physically co-located—for example, the health precinct with GV Health and the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health, and the Special K industrial area with manufacturers alongside GOTAFE and La Trobe University. However, targeted investment is needed to enhance these areas into fully operational precincts. This includes funding for complementary infrastructure and programs that support industry-based placements, foster collaboration, integrate practical learning, encourage innovation, and promote workforce development. Such investment will help these precincts reach their full potential as hubs for industry-focused education and regional economic growth.

• Collaborative Education/Training Model Design:It is crucial to prioritize and resource the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of integrated industry-university-TAFE education and training models. The primary barrier slowing workforce pipeline outcomes is the complexity of coordinating academic institutions with industry expectations to deliver effective, locally relevant curricula and practical experiences. Strategic investment in co-designing education pathways and operational frameworks will accelerate the development of a skilled workforce aligned with regional demand.

  
  

• Address Supervisory Capacity: Invest strategically in recruitment and retention incentives for senior supervisors in health and manufacturing sectors while exploring virtual or group supervision models to enhance placement capacity. Provide funding to support the Committee for Greater Shepparton’s Community Connector Program, which provides comprehensive relocation and social integration support to skilled professionals, easing their transition and reducing workforce turnover, thereby maintaining high-quality student supervision and training environments.

  
  

• Overhaul Public Transport: Improve coordination and expansion of public transport networks across the Goulburn Valley to allow students from surrounding towns to reliably and affordably access education and training opportunities in Shepparton.  This includes a comprehensive review and upgrade of the bus transport network, which has not been updated in over 15 years despite significant population growth, to improve access, connectivity, and sustainability. Strengthening transport infrastructure is essential to support Shepparton’s growing role as an innovative education hub attracting local and peri-urban students, including the rising cohort from Melbourne’s northern suburbs, particularly in nursing and allied health disciplines. Targeted travel subsidies should be introduced to alleviate financial barriers for regional and peri-urban students.

  
  

• Support Workforce Transformation: Develop agile upskilling pathways targeting automation, robotics, and renewable energy, closely integrating industry projects with curriculum design. This initiative should build upon the significant investment in Greater Shepparton Secondary College, which consolidated four secondary campuses into a state-of-the-art facility. The college offers industry partnerships, work-integrated learning opportunities, and specialised programs in science, robotics, and material technology, aligning career development initiatives with regional industry demands. Strengthening these pathways ensures robust transitions into higher education and skilled employment, bolstering the future regional workforce.

Conclusion: Leading Through Innovation

The challenges faced by Greater Shepparton—including limited traditional local training infrastructure, a fragmented employer landscape, and accelerating demands for new technical skills—converge to create a significant opportunity to lead the way in innovative, industry-connected education and training. The region is uniquely positioned to implement and refine models that blend academic learning with paid work-integrated experience, supported by scholarship programs and deep industry collaboration.

By empowering Greater Shepparton to pilot these models, Victoria can develop scalable solutions to meet urgent workforce development needs in new and emerging sectors such as distributed energy, automation, and advanced manufacturing. The strong community engagement, proven relocation and retention support programs like the Community Connector Program, existing regional partnerships, and educational infrastructure form a solid foundation for this leadership.

Supporting Greater Shepparton as a pilot region for innovative education delivery will help build an adaptable, accessible, and effective training system, benefiting not only the local community but offering a blueprint for broader regional and state-wide workforce transformation.

Appendix 1: Local access - Undergraduate courses offered on campus across regional Victoria and southern NSW.

Source: VTAC November 2024. If a campus offers any named variant (e.g. "Occupational Therapy (Honours)", "Regional and Remote", "First Nations Entry"), the box is shaded.

NOTE: La Trobe University offers a wide range of online Undergraduate degrees in courses including Arts, Business, Accounting, Psychology, IT, Cybersecurity and students are supported by the Shepparton Campus.

Appendix 2: Costs of leaving home for study

*Estimates for Bendigo and Wodonga assume lower regional living and transport costs relative to Melbourne.

Notes:

• The "Living at Home Estimated Cost" assumes students avoid accommodation, utilities, and setup costs but incur local transport, personal, and reduced living expenses.

• This column highlights the substantial savings (roughly $30,000–$57,000 annually compared to living away) when students can remain in their family home while studying.

• Car running costs are included for all options, reflecting typical reliance on a vehicle locally.

• Public transport from Shepparton to Melbourne is served by the V/Line train, taking about 2 hours 30 minutes with around four services daily.

• Shepparton to Bendigo is connected by a daily Dysons bus service taking approximately 2 hours 40 minutes; no direct train route exists.

• Public transport to Wodonga from Shepparton involves multiple transfers with long wait times, resulting in travel of 3+ hours or more; driving is often preferred.

• Car travel times reflect typical driving durations without heavy traffic.

·         This table vividly illustrates that supporting local and regional training pathways—allowing students to live at home—can dramatically reduce financial barriers for Greater Shepparton students.