STUDENTS and staff at Longerenong College believe an upgrade to its accommodation will strengthen the school’s enrolment numbers.
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The $4.47-million upgrade was officially opened by Senator Fiona Nash on Wednesday.
The upgrade included refurbishing 107 student rooms, including six disabled-access rooms, along with bathrooms, kitchens and loungerooms.
College chief executive John Ackland said the upgrade would mean Longerenong could continue to grow student numbers.
He said there was more diversity in agriculture now, with half of the college’s students being young women.
College academic programs manager Barry Ray said 80 per cent of students lived more than 200 kilometres from the college.
“It is a home away from home for students and not much had happened to the rooms since they were built in the 1940s and 1950s,” he said.
“I am amazed with the transformation.
“There is reverse cycle air-conditioning throughout the rooms now, which many of us take for granted but until this year was not available in the dorms.
“We have brand new study spaces and I anticipate a great improvement in academic performance.”
First year student Jaymee Hanemann-Miller said the new rooms were spacious and looked great.
“It’s really nice to stay there – I live four and a half hours away so this really is my home away from home,” she said. “They are comfortable rooms and there are two kitchens on each floor.”
Student Amy Kilpatrick said she came to the college for an open day in 2014 and the difference between the rooms then and now was incredible.
“When I first walked in the dorms, it was all doom and gloom, but now it’s a happy place to be,” she said.
“I can’t wait to see what outcome this has for the college – I expect there will be more enrolments in the future.”
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said the rooms’ occupancy level before the upgrade was 50 per cent and it had since grown to 73 per cent.
She said the rate should grow to 100 per cent by the end of 2017.
Ms Pulford said this year the college received its highest number of enrolments in more than 50 years.
The upgrade was made possible through funding from the state and federal governments and the college.
