The Ballarat facility features a state-of-the-art professional learning space, a Design Thinking Lab, ideal for workshops and sharing new ideas, as well as three remote learning studios to connect to professional learning in small groups.
The new centre has seen a consistent increase in participation from teachers in the Central Highlands area, with more than 200 teachers and school leaders attending professional learning sessions here in the first half of 2024, with countless more joining online from across Victoria.
The regional centre is one of seven opened as part of the Allan Government’s $17.8 million investment to bring the Academy’s high quality professional learning to educators across regional Victoria.
The six other centres are located in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mildura, Moe and Shepparton.
State Minister for Education, Ben Carroll visited the centre for its official opening and said it is important that teachers outside of metropolitan Melbourne were provided with opportunities to build on their skills.
“We will continue to invest in our teachers and principals right across the state by supporting them with the best professional development opportunities and empowering them to deliver the best teaching practice to their students,” Carroll said.
Across rural and regional Victoria, 20,000 school staff have already boosted their teaching and leadership skills via the local Academy centres, with many more set to attend by the end of the year.
The professional learning programs offer a unique opportunity to take the state’s highly skilled teachers and school leaders from great to exceptional and encourages them to bring big new ideas to their classrooms and share modern, cutting-edge ways of teaching with colleagues.
The Labor Government invested an initial $148.2 million over four years to establish the Academy and its nine centres – including the original in East Melbourne – giving teachers and school leaders the opportunity to develop their skills and take student learning to the next level.
The Academy received an additional $10.3 million over six months in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 to continue offering evidence-informed professional learning to teachers and school leaders.
Member for Ripon Martha Haylett said the centre is a hugely important new service.
“It offers teachers the opportunity to learn, and develop skills and educational approaches that translate to better learning outcomes for kids across our region,” she said.
