Educational resources will be boosted in Alice Springs with the announcement of an accommodation block and new teaching facilities at the local university campus.
Charles Darwin University (CDU) has started building the facilities, which will be used to accommodate and teach visiting interstate and remote students.
The new classrooms will be used to teach aged care, disability and youth services to students across Central Australia. The classrooms will be used for flexible lesson delivery during evenings and weekends.
Local contractor Asbuild will construct both facilities, which are expected to be completed by 30 June 2010.
CDU Campus Administrator David Reilly said he was excited to see preliminary work start on the new buildings.
"The demand for vocational education, particularly in community services incorporating disability care, aged care and children services, was a major motivation for us to develop these facilities and they will be put to good use," he said.
The buildings have been funded through a $4.5 million Training Infrastructure Investment for Tomorrow pool funded via the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).
The funding will also provide extra classrooms at CDU’s Katherine campus in addition to the Alice Springs facilities.