VICTORIA University (VU) has received 260 new university places in education and health in the Federal Government’s latest higher education reforms.
VU received the highest allocation in Victoria of the 1326 new places funded by the federal government.
Professor John McCallum, the university’s acting vice chancellor of education, said the new places would help meet strong demand and workforce shortages.
“This signals an even stronger role for the university in dealing with critical shortages, such as nursing, and high priorities like teaching,” he said. Prof McCallum said the allocation was close to what the 47,000-student university had asked for.
“Locally, it means students have a greater opportunity to do these courses in their own community,” he said.
St Albans campus received more than 100 additional health places, and Werribee about 75 more education places.
VU’s Melton and Sunbury campuses also secured new spots. Prof McCallum said VU’s growing reputation in both health sciences and teaching was drawing students from across the state.
“Over the past five or six years, we believe we have distinguished our courses because we are better connected to industry and to schools than other universities,” he said.
