A university for Tamworth?

Does Tamworth need a university? I'm often asked why does a regional city like Tamworth need a university? We already have access to others close by in Armidale and Newcastle.

Student access

There are many people who cannot afford to live away from home. They may have the smarts but not the means. Having a university on one's doorstep means students in Tamworth, Quirindi, Barraba and Gunnedah get to stay and contribute to our region. They are not lost to other population centres.

A local university will enable marginalised people to gain mentoring in higher education.

Distance education is achievable but I know from experience in growing our firm’s workforce via distance education that the student needs mentoring and support.

Technology

We live in a time where we need people to have skills that are a mix of practical and academic. I call it a skills convergence. Many graduates are heading to TAFE to get the practical skills they need to get and retain a job. Conversely, trade qualified people need to understand compliance and technology. If you have any doubts about the latter, perform a search for Brick Laying Machine and you'll see what the future looks like now.

Agriculture and Surveying have led the way with robotics with mining and construction moving up the ladder.

All require university trained people to lead the management and interpretation of data. Why should other industry sectors be immune to rapid technological change? In short, businesses need these new technology skills to remain future ready. Business needs a university as much as the students do.

Economic boost

A university will be an economic stimulus to the Tamworth Region. A rough figure is $30m pa in economic stimulus from staff numbers only. A university could collaborate with existing centres such as the Calala agricultural research centre. Co-hosting of post-doctoral fellows and research students would enhance our status as a leader in agriculture research.

In time, a university it could become a provider of business aviation degrees to the planned Virgin pilot training school. It could also work with the various equine bodies to ensure Tamworth retains its status as a major horse centre. If done right, people will be attracted to Tamworth if they know they are working with the best and can achieve the best that they can be. More importantly, gaining an accredited qualification qualifies their experience and allows them to gain higher employment.

A university will be an economic stimulus to the Tamworth Region. A rough figure is $30m pa in economic stimulus from staff numbers only.

The economics of a lost workforce

Our businesses and industries need our best and brightest to stay. If they move away, the likelihood of their return declines. Some will return to the country when they marry and start a family. They may equally consider other centres such as Orange, Port Macquarie or Lismore. These centres gain whilst we miss out. We then have to have strong reasons to attract and retain new residents to compensate for the loss. Why don't we keep our own in the first place?

As Tamworth tracks towards a 100,000 population, we risk being the “odd man out” in being the only Evo-City without a university. A regional city without a university risks missing out on “tree changers” who elect to move to other regional cities that have the full suite of cultural, educational and medical facilities.

I know of families who have left Tamworth in order to gain easier access to higher education Tamworth is renowned for its great business community. It needs a university as much as the students do. If we don’t train our own kids, we can’t retain them and business misses out on people who are more attuned to their needs than anyone else.

Urban renewal

A CBD campus would lift and rejuvenate the Tamworth CBD. A good example is the redevelopment of a Hunter Street site through the build of Newcastle University's new law building. The location was deliberate and aimed to provide maximum effect in assisting with the local Councils urban renewal project.

Peel Street, Tamworth could receive a similar urban renewal treatment. Either end of Peel Street would work. It should not go to a greenfield site on the edge of town.

The fallacy of the UNE argument

There is an argument that the University of New England (UNE) currently adequately serves the Tamworth community. In a sense it does but UNE only attracts 30% of HSC graduates that go onto university study. Another 30% go to Newcastle Uni and the remaining 40% go onto universities in the metropolitan centres. Why should we suffer to prop up Armidale? Besides, the numbers will be so small that Armidale won’t notice the difference.

The Mildura campus of Deakin University currently has 500 students. Sunshine Coast University started in the 1990s with 500 students. These students came out of their local communities and were people who were unlikely to relocate to other centres. They were the lost cohort of students.

Tamworth’s lost cohort of about 300 students never went because their lives were too busy, they weren’t ready or they were too broke. Armidale may as well be in Timbuktu. These people weren’t going to go or can’t go.

Conclusion

What is lacking in Tamworth is the educational equality that enhances the quality of our youth, the amenity of our city and the robustness of our regional businesses. Country kids who study in the country stay in the country. They also understand the issues country people face. We have to own the problem of educational inequity. Lets not blame anyone else. If we want change then we have to make it happen. Its very easy. Let’s develop the vision and implement it. More importantly, let’s stop accepting reasons for why it cant happen.

Lets fix this.