Tonsley Technical College, one of South Australia’s five new technical colleges, has unveiled three additional employer partnerships to support career development opportunities within the advanced manufacturing and engineering.
The employer partnerships include SARAH construction, which is also building the new college, advanced electronics manufacturer REDARC and the Climate Impact Corporation, a leader in the renewable hydrogen sector.
The partnerships have been struck to close the gap between skill development and the specialised needs of growing industries, with the partners helping to develop training.
Monday’s agreements are in addition to three leading employee partners already supporting Tonsley; the Australian Submarine Corporation, the Master Builders Association and Motor Trades Association.
While construction faced delays in October 2024, the state-of-the-art facility is nearing completion, with plans to welcome students in 2026.
The Tonsley project is a significant collaboration between the Department for Education and Flinders University’s Factory of the Future, an industry-focused research and capability-building facility.
Minister for Education Training and Skills Blair Boyer said that students will be “learning in facilities that are specifically built like workplaces, using industry-standard equipment”.
“This means they get real, hands-on experience with the technologies they’ll use every day in their future career,” Mr Boyer said.
“Additionally, students undertaking the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering program will have an Engineering pathway to Flinders University as these students will be able to complete their first year of engineering degree at Flinders University while in Year 12, fast-tracking their pathway into key career opportunities.”
Tonsley Technical College, announced in 2023, is one of five new technical colleges aimed at producing the skilled workforce to build – among other things – the nuclear submarines that were promised to the state under AUKUS.
It will be run in conjunction with the Australian Science and Maths School, and the Bedford Park campus of Flinders University as part of the significant Malinauskas Labor Government investment of $208.8 million to provide vocational education and training.
Under the program, five new technical colleges – three in Adelaide and two in regional South Australia – will support students in years 10 to 12 as they complete their South Australian Certificate of Education. Learning is centred around industry training programs, designed and delivered in partnership with employers, with guaranteed career opportunities for graduates.
Each technical college is designed to replicate the look, feel and flow of industry workplace environments.
Findon Technical College is open now, with the other four – Tonsley, Port Augusta (opening later this year), Limestone Coast, and the Heights – all taking 2026 enrolments now.
Mr Boyer said the technical colleges are “an innovative and important project for the state – not only for the future of the economy but for providing practical opportunities for young people that will see them in careers in growing industries such as defence, construction or new technology”.
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