The Victorian Government and Victoria University Polytechnic have announced a new TAFE partnership that will enable the university to train workers in the skills required for Victoria’s infrastructure projects, including the West Gate Tunnel.

Under the new partnership, the TAFE division of Victoria University will offer civil construction Certificate II, III and IV courses to meet the growing needs of the state’s massive pipeline of infrastructure projects, according to a statement from the Victorian Government.

Certificate III in Civil Construction is also part of the government’s TAFE Free for Priority Courses initiative that come into effect in 2019.

To accommodate the additional training needs of the West Gate Tunnel project, Victoria University Polytechnic is planning to reopen its Werribee East campus as a technology precinct centred on civil construction.

As part of the partnership between Victoria University Polytechnic and constructor CPB-John Holland, there will also be dedicated courses for trainees and apprentices already employed on the West Gate Tunnel Project.

“We are investing in the big projects we need, like the West Gate Tunnel, and the people we need to build them,” Premier Daniel Andrews said in the statement. “There are already 1,200 people working on the West Gate Tunnel – this partnership will make sure that young Victorians get the skills they need to help deliver this massive project.”