Despite repeated promises and advocacy claims by Cardinia Shire Council, no meaningful progress has been made to secure a TAFE campus or dedicated vocational education facilities in the area.
Former school principal and long-time community advocate residing in Berwick, Ian Chisholm says the lack of tangible progress is proof that the issue remains stuck in the “too hard” basket, despite it being labelled a “council priority”.
“To my knowledge, nothing has happened,” Chisholm said.
“We keep hearing we need jobs and training, but no action has followed. Cardinia is still without a TAFE, a Tech School or even a serious plan to attract one.
“The City of Casey set land aside early, and that’s why Berwick has a university, a TAFE and a Tech School. Cardinia Shire is still behind.”
The comment reflects a growing frustration among locals who have seen nearby municipalities like Casey secure dedicated education precincts while Cardinia has been left behind.
In 2024, Cardinia Shire Mayor Jack Kowarzik told the Gazette the council had taken a “proactive” approach and had made formal submissions calling for a training institute in Officer South, describing education access as a long-standing advocacy priority.
As a volunteer at the Deep Creek Indigenous Nursery and CEC, Chisholm sees firsthand how difficult it is for young people to access practical training.
“Some of the young people here want to do short horticulture or landscaping courses — but they don’t drive. The nearest face-to-face provider is in Cranbourne. How do they get there?”
Several TAFE campuses in Berwick, Dandenong, Holmesglen and Swinburne have either reduced or cancelled key trade and horticulture courses in recent years.
Even plumbing apprentices based in Cardinia must travel to Dandenong to complete their qualifications — Berwick no longer offers the full course.
“Horticulture used to be offered at Swinburne and Holmesglen. Now it’s online only or moved to Cranbourne, which is a huge barrier for our volunteers and school-leavers,” Chisholm said.
Cardinia Shire is officially recognised supporting Melbourne’s ‘Food Bowl’, yet has no horticulture or land management training locally — a situation Chisholm calls “short-sighted.”
“With so many new housing estates going up, even landscaping would make sense as a training focus here. But again, nothing has been done.”
The barriers extend beyond TAFE. Cardinia students are also excluded from accessing government-funded Tech Schools in neighbouring municipalities like Casey.
“Tech Schools prioritise students in their own council area,” Chisholm said. “Cardinia students aren’t eligible for the Berwick Tech School, even if it’s only a few kilometres away.”
“These schools offer short-term STEM and trade-focused programs to help keep students engaged and thinking about careers — and yet we’ve got nothing locally.”
Across Victoria, course availability has been shrinking. Horticulture, landscaping and turf management have been pulled from multiple campuses, forcing students to either study online or travel long distances.
Chisholm acknowledges that this is a statewide trend but says Cardinia is “worse off than most.”
“Even Warragul TAFE only offers online horticulture now. But at least they have something,” he said.
“The State Government says they’ve invested billions into rebuilding TAFE, but if Cardinia can’t even secure a share of that investment, we have to ask why.”
Last year, Chisholm wrote a letter to the Gazette urging local leaders to take the issue seriously. At the time, he warned that budget bids had failed for 30 years and said council candidates were largely silent on the issue.
A year on, he says nothing has changed.
“There’s still no funding, no land set aside, and no data being collected to build the case,” he said.
Chisholm is now calling on the current council to go beyond advocacy slogans and act with urgency.
“We can’t afford another generation of young people being left behind simply because they can’t get to class,” he said.
Cardinia Shire Council was approached for comment.
