Background

In June 1999 the Mid West Development Commission held a youth forum to encourage young people between 18-30 years of age to become involved in regional development.

At that time the most important issue to emerge was lack of access to university education in the Mid West so a youth sub-committee was formed to see what could be done.

During 2000 the Geraldton University Access Group (GUAG) was formed and all WA universities were approached to offer courses in Geraldton. None would commit without the allocation of fully funded places from the Federal government.

In 2001 the Federal government did allocate 670 new university places and GUAG obtained $135,000 from the Higher Education Innovation Fund to establish an appropriate model for regional delivery.

In June 2001 a delegation from GUAG (Ms Lee Morton, Ms Felicity Mitchell and Mr Tony Brooker) travelled to Canberra with the support of the Hon Wilson Tuckey and lobbied the Federal government for a regional allocation of the new places. They also argued for a change in the system to give a degree of power to regional communities and to allow Geraldton rather than the universities to receive funding for regional places

The delegation was successful and set a national precedent by having university funding allocated for specified regional delivery. The University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and Edith Cowen University formed a consortium to bid for the Geraldton university places, with the University of Western Australia taking the role of Administering University.  In November 2001, after 2 ½ years of hard work and dedication by organisations and individuals in the Mid West, the Geraldton Universities Centre was established.

Achievements

In 2006 the Hon Wilson Tuckey officially opened the Mid West's own purpose built facility in Geraldton. The student body had grown from 20 student places in 2001 to 130 enrolled students undertaking a range of full degree programs by 2005. Course offerings continue to expand in line with burgeoning community interest, and the GUC is now well placed to offer support to external students as well.

Today the GUC's successes speak for themselves:

·               147 students graduated in Geraldton

·               47 Geraldton people having met the academic requirements of GUC’s partner universities to lecturer and tutor in degree programs

·               The majority of Geraldton graduates working in their profession (nursing and teaching) in regional WA in what had previously been classified as “hard to staff” areas

·               A student retention rate far exceeding metropolitan averages for students emanating from regional areas.

Most students who study at the GUC not only complete their degree in Geraldton (many working in part-time jobs during this time) but also graduate in Geraldton, gain employment in their chosen field and remain in regional WA.