The opening of the Australian Catholic University's (ACU) new campus in Blacktown will give more students from Western Sydney the opportunity to go to university and gain job-ready qualifications.
Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge said the opening of the new St Josephine Bakhita campus was a significant milestone.
"This campus will service one of Australia's fastest growing regions," Minister Tudge said.
"The courses that are offered will be focussed on those areas where we know there will be high demand for skills in the future, like nursing and agriculture."
"ACU is also giving more people in Western Sydney the opportunity to upskill, re-skill and get into a job by offering 25 short courses across health, agriculture, education and IT."
Federal Member for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh MP said the St Josephine Bakhita campus will improve access for local people to the jobs of the future.
"The emerging industries like information technology, agriculture, advanced manufacturing and medicine that are coming to Western Sydney will create and sustain more local jobs.
"This new campus means people in our community have even greater access to developing the skills they need to take on these jobs of the future," Ms McIntosh said.
"ACU is working closely with local stakeholders like the business chamber and hospitals throughout their programs, to connect students with more opportunities right here in Western Sydney."
The Morrison Government is providing more than $11 million dollars for additional places at ACU from 2021, including 200 one-off national priority places for nursing students this year. A further $8.9 million in research block grants has also been committed.
