The Country University Centre (CUC) planned for Warwick has been in the news lately with The Town and Country Journal reporting recently that the Centre, after being slated for a Southern Downs Industry Education Association (SDIEA) site has been quietly shifted to the Warwick TAFE - and the SDIEA itself going mysteriously quiet.
A week is a long time in Warwick, and now we can report ttheir website is fine, the Facebook page is active and the Southern Downs Industry Education Association (SDIEA) just hired a new centre manager. However, a simmering concern remains over the decision to shift the CUC out of SDIEA hands, with SDIEA representatives telling this newspaper, in effect, 'we started it'.
Lisa Jones, the newly hired manager was set to meet SDRC CEO Rachel Brophy last week but,, the CEO had to cancel. Nevertheless, SDIEA chair Janelle Robb, was eager to explain that the organisation had technical difficulties that took it offline briefly last week and the Facebook page can be found under SDIEA Creating Community Value, not SDIEA Warwick, and has plenty of updates and activity. There is another, she acknowledges, but it doesn't have anything to do with the organisation and is apparently dormant.
“We have courses running all the time,” Ms Robb said, emphasising the activity of the organisation.
The organisation, which trains and prepares local residents for the workforce, is starting their business traineeship which will offer a Certificate I in workplace skills and the continuation of free courses which include Get Set for Work, hospitality offerings and retail services.
The SDIEA’s board, which includes Deputy Mayor Sheryl Windle, former councillor Jo McNally, Cr Morwenna Harslett, Jacinta Boland, Alison Somerset, Justin Nowlan and Pam Burley, had representation on the board of the CUC Southern Downs until “about five months ago.”
It is unclear what changed.
The current website still indicates, inaccurately, Cr Marco Gliori as a community representative and Chiara Farrell as the General Manager. Not for profit organisations, however, don’t often have the resources to immediately update websites and Ms Robb wants the public to be clear about their role in bringing a uni hub to the Southern Downs.
“We were the instigators of the CUC being located in Warwick and at our site as we work towards having a community learning hub centrally located and easily accessed,” Ms Robb said.
“We lodged an unsuccessful application in 2022. Our application, which had used community consultation, was then used as the basis for the 2023 submission which was successful. SDIEA was the preferred site due to its location and easy accessibility…the initial budget included the rent for SDIEA premises which was at a greatly reduced rate.”
The CUC has commented that the TAFE Warwick suited their purposes at a better rate.
“As a not-for-profit, we are not in a position to provide free rent for a large proportion of our site,” Ms Robb continued.
Sources close to the matter told the paper that the CUC Southern Downs does not have a rent-free contract with the Warwick TAFE and will be investing money into improving the building.
Ms Robb is not happy that the CUC Southern Downs did not, she says, notify the SDIEA of their change of preferred location until February 7.
“The new location, as we are aware, was not subjected to community consultation as anyone who knows Warwick would not say it is the best site for the CUC. We are happy that we will have a CUC in Warwick but have concerns its location will make it unsuccessful.”
Meanwhile, Michelle Feenan, President of the Stanthorpe and Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce, says a branch or version of a uni hub may be included in plans to overhaul the Queensland College of Wine Tourism, pictured here, which is on a lifeline of funding by the state government.
