Construction of the Tonsley Technical College is underway, with concrete pouring and other key work taking place on site.

It is one of five technical colleges being built by the State Government as part of a $208 million investment.

The Findon Technical College opened at the start of this year, with enrolments now being accepted for 2025.

Port Augusta Technical College will open in 2025, and the remaining three technical colleges at Tonsley, Mount Gambier and The Heights (Modbury) are set to welcome students in 2026, with enrolments now open.

The technical colleges have some of South Australia’s most high-profile employers as partners, ensuring the students get the education they need to be fast-tracked into secure, well-paid careers.

The building of Tonsley Technical College, which will partner with the nearby Australian Science and Mathematics School, will be completed by the middle of next year.

Australian submarine company ASC is the employer partner of the college and will provide employment pathways for school students into defence industries.

Two pivotal South Australian group training organisations – the Motor Trade Association (MTA) and the Master Builders Association (MBA) – have also joined forces with Tonsley Technical College to provide employment opportunities and apprenticeships with host employers across the state.

Meanwhile, Flinders University’s Factory of the Future has also reached a milestone with the construction of the world-class advanced manufacturing facility underway to bring together industry, education and researchers and develop sovereign capabilities in key sectors including defence and digital technologies.

Factory of the Future, which will be built adjacent to the Tonsley Technical College, is part of a collaboration between the Federal and State Governments and private industry, to capitalise on opportunities in the defence sector and to bolster capacity in the local manufacturing sector.

It is supported by grant funding from the Australian Government and $9 million in funding from the South Australian Government.

Flinders University Vice Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling said it was “exciting to see the construction of our world-class Factory of the Future underway, placing South Australia at the cutting edge of industry-linked research and education”.

“Embedding the Tonsley Technical College with Flinders’ Factory of the Future means students will be at the heart of an innovative tech ecosystem, seeing firsthand how their future careers can unfold,” Prof Stirling said.