Tamworth university campus: Industry focus groups to determine courses that meet employer needs

The University of New England has released a 40-page draft document to stakeholders outlining the plans for a campus in the CBD.

Full degree courses will be offered from next year if everything goes to plan.

The industry focus groups will ensure the course offerings match the needs of employers, Tamworth University Reference Group chair Mitch Hanlon said.

"There's a real focus on industry-specific courses," he said.

"The big thing for us is getting the caps on Commonwealth-funded places lifted."

The federal government announced it would put $15 million toward the establishment of nine regional university centres on Monday, similar to those already in Moree and Narrabri.

Tamworth wasn't on that list, but that's because supporters have pushed for a fully-fledged campus instead of a distance-learning hub.

The funds that were announced are for a separate program that create 'university agnostic' hubs for country students to use for study.

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It is a different model to what Tamworth is proposing, Mr Hanlon said.

"But I think it's good news to hear that others are getting study centres with different universities using those hubs," he said.

The focus groups include creative arts and industries, sports science and technology, events and facilities management, health industries and services, food technology and logistics, professional services and poultry and will meet for the next four weeks.

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