TAFE Centre of Excellence Archives

Petrie TAFE Centre of Excellence: What $60 Million will Build for Locals

Petrie students who want a career in manufacturing or the trades will soon have a purpose-built TAFE centre a short walk from the train station.

The Queensland Government announced the news this week and said Queensland company FKG Group has been appointed as contractor. Petrie is the second of four such centres to begin construction across the state. Rockhampton got going earlier this year.

What is Planned for the Site

TAFE Centre — *Photo Credit: Artist Impression/ Supplied*

An Advanced Manufacturing Hub sits at the heart of the plan. Around it, the government says, will be training space for metal fabrication, engineering and trades, plus instrumentation labs and rooms built for industry to work alongside students. The Department of Trade, Employment and Training lists construction, engineering and electrotechnology as the centre’s main focus.

The hub is aimed at the region’s manufacturing sector, which both the state government and the City of Moreton Bay describe as a billion-dollar industry. Designs are still subject to change, the department notes.

Why Petrie?

So why build here? Part of the answer is the land. The centre will go up at Moreton Bay Central on a site the City of Moreton Bay transferred for the project. The council says it is the third-largest local government in Australia by population, so a large pool of future students lives close by.

Nearby, the Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre is planned as a venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Mayor Peter Flannery said the land transfer should lead to more jobs in high-demand fields and strengthen the area’s name as a hub for education and technology.

What Locals and Leaders are Saying

For Kerri-Anne Dooley, the Member for Redcliffe, the appeal is simple. Manufacturing and construction matter in her area, and a campus close to home means thousands of people can study without leaving the community. Ariana Doolan, the Member for Pumicestone, agreed and said the training should lead locals into rewarding careers.

TAFE Queensland chief executive Tim Rawlings focused on the learning itself. He said students and apprentices will get hands-on training in advanced manufacturing, construction, engineering and electrotechnology. Close ties with employers and government, he said, should keep courses in step with what workplaces need and send graduates out job-ready from day one.

Manufacturing Minister Dale Last added that a skilled workforce is key to the industry’s future growth.

Part of a Bigger Plan

Petrie is one piece of a $201.1 million state investment. The other centres are planned for the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton and the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, where the focus will be marine training. The government describes the four centres as an election commitment.

Minister Ros Bates said communities across Queensland need more tradies and skilled workers, and that the new facility is meant to help fill those gaps while supporting housing, infrastructure and Games preparations. The government points to a predicted peak shortfall of 50,000 construction workers, though it has not said where that figure comes from.

No completion date for the Petrie centre has been announced.

Published Date 07-October-2026

New Petrie TAFE Centre Could Expand Trade Training In Moreton Bay

A new TAFE Centre of Excellence planned for Petrie is taking shape, with plans for the proposed $60 million facility revealing how it could expand training opportunities across construction, engineering, and other skilled industries.

Read: Construction Set for 2026 on Petrie’s $60 Million TAFE Centre of Excellence

The four-storey facility is proposed for Moreton Bay Central on Moreton Parade and would provide training space for up to 450 students. The development application covers about 5700 square metres, with plans for practical training areas, classrooms, specialist facilities and student services.

Specialist training planned for Petrie

The project includes a strong practical training component, with specialist workshops proposed for carpentry, electrical and plumbing, as well as other high-demand trade disciplines.

Construction, engineering, and electrotechnology are key areas identified for the centre, which will also include an advanced manufacturing hub. State officials said the hub is intended to support the Moreton Bay region’s manufacturing industry and provide opportunities in high-tech and high-demand sectors.

The proposed facility is also designed to support different pathways into training and employment. Its planned functions include apprenticeship pathways, industry-led learning, trade qualifications and workforce upskilling.

Inside the building, the layout would include a range of spaces for training, learning and student services. The ground floor is proposed to contain training areas, storage and a food and drink outlet. The first floor would include staff and student services, amenities, a student kitchen, seminar rooms and specialist learning areas.

Upper levels would provide general and specialist classrooms, along with technology-focused facilities. A VR/XR hub and industrial simulation tower are also included in the plans, alongside the general and specialist teaching spaces.

Parking and operating hours

There would be 73 car parking spaces, along with four motorcycle spaces and parking for 29 bicycles. The proposal also allows for the potential addition of another 38 car spaces if required. The centre is planned to operate during a typical academic calendar year, with proposed weekday operating hours from 7am to 5pm. Occasional night classes could run until 9pm.

Major Projects has been engaged by the department to project manage construction of the new facility. A head contractor has not yet been appointed. Queensland has previously identified the Moreton Bay Centre of Excellence as a $60 million project scheduled for delivery by 2028. The project information also identifies Petrie as its location and confirms its focus on construction, engineering, electrotechnology and advanced manufacturing.

Read: Site Secured for $60 Million TAFE Centre of Excellence in Petrie

The proposed TAFE would add vocational education and specialist industry training to the Moreton Bay Central precinct, where the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Moreton Bay campus is already located. The project remains subject to the relevant planning and construction stages, with the head contractor yet to be appointed.

Published 8-September-2026

Inside the Plans for Petrie’s New $60-Million TAFE

Architect's perspective. Subject to change. Photo Credit: Dept of Housing and Public Works

Trade workshops, an industrial simulation tower and virtual-reality training spaces are among the features planned for Petrie’s new $60-million TAFE, with the development application providing the clearest look yet at what is proposed for the Moreton Bay Central site.

The four-storey building would accommodate up to 450 students in about 5,700sqm of floor space, with training focused heavily on construction and allied trades. Plans show practical training areas on the lower levels and classrooms and specialist facilities above, including spaces for carpentry, electrical and plumbing training.

The proposed campus would be built at Moreton Bay Central, near UniSC Moreton Bay and Petrie railway station.

Funding has been committed and procurement is under way, but the project remains at the planning and tender stage. The lodgement of a development application does not mean development approval has been granted, and construction has not been confirmed as having started.

Trade Workshops Anchor the Ground Floor

Much of the hands-on training would take place at ground level, where the plans provide workshops, training areas and storage as well as a food and drink outlet.

Construction, engineering and electrotechnology have been identified as key training areas for the Petrie campus, while the funded project also includes an Advanced Manufacturing Hub. Among the more distinctive features shown in the plans is an industrial simulation tower extending through the building.

Upper levels would contain classrooms, seminar rooms, staff and student services, amenities and a student kitchen, along with specialist teaching spaces. A VR/XR hub is also included, bringing virtual and extended-reality technology into the training mix.

It is a different layout from the sprawling workshops often associated with trade training. At Petrie, practical areas, classrooms and specialist facilities would be stacked across four levels.

Room for 450 Students

The proposed TAFE has been designed for up to 450 students, with planning material indicating normal weekday operating hours of 7am to 5pm and occasional evening classes potentially continuing until 9pm.

Plans show 67 standard car bays, two accessible spaces and four motorcycle spaces, as well as parking for 29 bicycles. Provision has also been identified for another 38 car spaces if required.

The campus would sit close to Petrie railway station, giving students travelling from North Lakes and other communities along the Redcliffe Peninsula line a direct rail connection to the precinct. Wider planning for Moreton Bay Central also provides for pedestrian links between the station, education area and surrounding development.

$60 Million Across Several Years

The $60 million attached to the project is government funding to construct the Moreton Bay TAFE Centre of Excellence, rather than the value of an awarded building contract.

The original funding program provided $60 million over three years, with $6.6 million allocated to commence delivery in 2025–26. Procurement has since progressed, with four preferred contractors invited in June to tender for the first stage of the Petrie and Caloundra TAFE projects.

A builder had not been announced by 19 August, when the Department of Housing and Public Works was still listing the head contractor for the Petrie project as “yet to be appointed”.

The Government has previously forecast construction starting in 2026 and completion in 2028, subject to construction market conditions and material supply. Those dates remain the project timetable; the planning material does not establish that building work has begun.

TAFE Joins Petrie’s Education Precinct

The new campus is planned within the former Petrie paper mill precinct, where UniSC opened its Moreton Bay campus in 2020.

Moreton Bay Central has continued to develop around the university, with education, employment, recreation and other uses planned across the site. The TAFE would add a substantial vocational-training presence, particularly in construction, engineering, electrotechnology and advanced manufacturing.

For Petrie, the development application puts considerably more detail around what the new campus could look like on the ground. Subject to the remaining planning and procurement steps, workshops, classrooms, simulation facilities and digital training spaces would all be brought together in a four-storey building within walking distance of the railway station.

Published 1-September-2026

Site Secured for $60 Million TAFE Centre of Excellence in Petrie

Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

A $60 million TAFE Centre of Excellence will be developed in Petrie, following the completion of a land transfer that allows construction to begin in 2026 at the Moreton Bay Central site. The new facility will expand training opportunities across key industries while supporting the region’s growing workforce needs.

New Skills and Manufacturing Hub in Petrie

The planned Moreton Bay TAFE Centre of Excellence will feature an Advanced Manufacturing Hub to strengthen the region’s billion-dollar manufacturing sector. The hub will focus on providing hands-on, industry-aligned training in construction, engineering, electrotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. The project aims to give residents the opportunity to train and work locally, supporting workforce retention and regional development.

TAFE Centre Petrie — Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

Land Transfer and Construction Timeline

Located within the Moreton Bay Central precinct, the site will be transferred from the City of Moreton Bay to the Queensland Government, marking an important step towards the project’s delivery. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2026. The facility’s location—next to the future Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre, a confirmed venue for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games—positions it as a key investment in long-term regional growth.

TAFE Centre of Excellence — Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

Expanding Training Capacity Across Queensland

The Petrie facility is part of a $201.1 million initiative to establish four new TAFE Centres of Excellence across the state, alongside Caloundra, Rockhampton, and the Southern Moreton Bay Islands. The project will introduce modern training technologies such as augmented reality and smart learning hubs, providing students with access to real-world, job-ready experience. This initiative seeks to bridge skills gaps in high-demand sectors and strengthen the local labour market.

manufacturing hub — Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

Supporting Local Growth and Innovation

The Centre of Excellence is expected to enhance Moreton Bay’s reputation as an education and innovation hub. Local officials have welcomed the project, noting its proximity to the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Moreton Bay campus, which opens possibilities for collaboration between tertiary education and vocational training. The new facility is also anticipated to boost local employment, promote advanced manufacturing, and equip the region with a future-ready workforce.

Future Outlook for Petrie

Set to begin construction in 2026, the Moreton Bay TAFE Centre of Excellence will deliver a lasting contribution to Petrie and the surrounding region. Once complete, it will serve as a cornerstone for education, training, and economic growth, providing high-quality facilities that meet the evolving needs of local industries.

Published 12-Oct-2025