THE Heyfield Community Resource Centre is the newest Regional Study Hub outreach site to open.
Local students enrolled in any Australian university, TAFE, or VCE program can access learning advice from skills advisors, a quiet study space, and high-speed internet, all for free.
In March, the state government announced $16 million in funding through the Regional University Study Hubs grant program to open ten new hubs in regional locations, aiming to make tertiary education more accessible.
Heyfield is one of five new outreach sites, including Yarram, Orbost, Omeo and Mallacoota. These sites are an extension of the Gippsland East Higher Education Study Hubs in Bairnsdale, which opened in 2019 and then in Sale at TAFE Gippsland’s Flexible Learning Centre in 2022.
Heyfield Community Resource Centre manager Caroline Trevorrow said the town “definitely needed” a study hub.
“We hear a lot from people that come in to use the centre (that) they’re studying online. There are universities all around Australia now that offer online education, which is fantastic, especially for Gippsland where tertiary education choices are limited,” she said.
Navigating coursework can feel overwhelming, whether you’re new to tertiary education or returning to upskill.
Regional students often travel far – the nearest university campus, Federation University in Churchill, is 50 minutes from Heyfield and over four hours from Mallacoota. For online students, limited access to high-speed internet, technology, and in-person learning environments add to the challenges they face.
Regional Study Hubs are changing that.
On October 24, key representatives from TAFE Gippsland, Wellington Shire Council and the Gippsland East Local Learning and Employment Network (GELLEN) helped launch the Heyfield Study Hub, a dedicated room in the Heyfield Community Resource Centre equipped with eight monitors, internet, printing and scanning services, and a television for online meetings.
Additionally, a vital aspect of these hubs is advisors like GELLEN learning skills team leader Ashley Carmody, who will run face-to-face guided study sessions every two weeks in Heyfield.
The first two study sessions at Heyfield are confirmed for Tuesday, November 19, and Tuesday, December 3, between 10am and 11.30am.
For students who register with the Heyfield Study Hub, Mr Carmody will be their point of contact to address questions about course material and expectations, how to navigate online learning portals like Moodle and Blackboard, and tips for writing assessments like essays.
To register, students must be enrolled at a tertiary institution and have a USI number.
You can start registering for the Heyfield Study Hub now via this website, https://www.gestudyhub.org/register
At last week’s launch, making education as accessible as possible was emphasised.
“What we’re doing is offering assistance with TAFE and university courses to make it possible (for students) to work in the region, live wherever you do, access a quiet space to study if you’ve got a busy home, and learning skills advice – face-to-face or online – that is close to your home location,” Mr Carmody said.
He explained students living in Heyfield who studied at a TAFE or university campus in Morwell, Churchill or elsewhere often couldn’t access face-to-face learning support near their home. He said these were the students who went to him seeking in-person guidance which they otherwise wouldn’t have.
Additionally, registering as a student at the Heyfield Study Hub doesn’t mean you cannot use other study hubs in Bairnsdale, Sale, or Yarram, for example. In fact, the registration form asks you to select which study hubs you’d like to access other than your primary location.
Mr Carmody said a paramedic he’d worked with often used the study hub – Bairnsdale or Sale – closest to him, depending on where he works on a given day.
Another theme emphasised at the launch was boosting adult education, particularly making it easier for people to go back to university or TAFE to upskill.
“I see life changing… I see people being able to improve the position they’re in, in terms of job opportunities, being able to get a secure job, or being able to improve income,” Mr Carmody said about his experience as a learning skills advisor.
As timber towns like Heyfield, Orbost, and Yarram transition, Ms Trevorrow said creating a local educational hub will encourage people to stay in the community. She said individuals could ideally find local jobs.
“I think as communities start to transition and communities start to change and look for new opportunities, having education as one of their priorities and keeping people local through a study hub that allows them to study local, that just contributes to the resilience and the health of the town,” Ms Trevorrow said.
Curbing students’ sense of isolation is another goal of Regional Study Hubs.
GELLEN executive officer Neeta D’Souza explained that in the future, they aim to create a “mini university” feel by organising group meetings for students across the various study hub locations.
Ms Trevorrow said she felt isolated when studying online.
“I found it really daunting, and I think if I had something like a study hub available, I would definitely make use of it because when you’re not used to studying in isolation, it can be a really scary,” she said.
Ms Trevorrow said adding a study hub complemented Heyfield Community Resource Centre’s existing resources and demonstrated how community hubs could adapt to address local needs.
“Being based in a neighbourhood house, because we’re working within so many different areas, if a student… needs some kind of other wrap-around support whether that be some financial counselling or some food relief or childcare, we can start those conversations as well,” she said.
Ms D’Souza said the Gippsland East Higher Education Study Hub in Bairnsdale had good outcomes. There are between 130-to-140 students registered at this study hub.
“It’s quite a productive and active space, and we are hoping that with the onset of the other study hubs like Heyfield, a few months down the line, we will have that influx of students coming in and making the most of this space,” she said.
When fully operational with swipe card access, the Heyfield hub will be open from 8.30am to 9.30pm. However, this has not yet been installed. Until then, Ms Trevorrow said it is available to use Monday through Thursday between 8.30am and 4.30pm.
The Heyfield study hub is a collaboration between the Heyfield Community Resource Centre, which provides space for GELLEN to rent and host learning skills sessions with advisors.
