There is nothing more important than good health. For more than a hundred years, Victoria University (VU) has forged unbreakable ties with Melbourne's west by delivering a world-class education to countless students who value the health and wellbeing of our community.
With a population of more than 975,900, Melbourne's west is the fastest growing region in Australia. With growth comes opportunities and challenges, and some relate directly to physical and mental health.
VU is training the health workforce of the future and in the coming years, 630 new nurses, 221 paramedics and 189 social workers will graduate, and find rewarding careers in the health industry, joining thousands of VU alumni working as midwives, nurses, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, nutritionists, social workers, aged-care workers and more.
The University's student cohort shares the best characteristics of the west; diverse, resilient, and hardworking. Over 40% are the first in their family to attend university; others are looking for a mid-career change, and many students live, study and hope to work in the west.
Key facts and stats
- 25,000 new health and care economy jobs forecasted in Melbourne's west by 2031
- In 2025 4,314 students enrolled in health courses at VU across TAFE and higher education - 68% (2,942) live in Melbourne's west
- 50% of VU students come from a non-English speaking background
- 42% higher education students at VU are first in their family to go to university, with a 93% success pass rate
- VU delivers one of Australasia's largest, and longest-running, undergraduate programs in paramedicine, with approximately 800 students per year
VU has seen a significant rise in enrolments from 41,584 in 2022 to 49,106 in 2024, the highest level in over a decade. Many of these students are enrolled in health disciplines, including VU's three most popular health courses: nursing, paramedicine, and social work.
According to a recent data by the Australian Government, over the next five years, nursing, and aged and disabled care workers will be in high demand. While artificial intelligence transforms our lives and workplaces, there will always be professions that cannot be replaced and many of those are core jobs are connected to health industries. Director of VU's Centre of Policy Studies Professor Janine Dixon says it will take time for AI capabilities to be installed, which will give school-leavers time to train and prepare for an AI world.
As one of only six dual sector universities in Australia (teaching both vocational and higher education), VU has a reputation for prioritising the needs of students, along with a commitment to inclusivity and an unwavering drive to work with partners and researchers who are dedicated to prioritising the health and wellbeing of the entire community in Melbourne's west.
Supporting the next generation are our strategic partnerships who are investing in the health and wellbeing of the community. These collaborations are instrumental in our 'flipped campus' approach, which gives students the opportunity to learn and work from professionals embedded in VU campuses. Lifeline Western Melbourne and Autism Spectrum Australia have offices at VU's St Albans campus while Orygen, a leading organisation in youth mental health has a Headspace centre at our Werribee campus - the only University located centre in Victoria.
"Partnering with leaders in health gives our students direct access to industry opportunities they need to put their best foot forward in starting their careers. Like VU, our partners are anchored in Melbourne's west, so our students are gaining strong connections to the local community that they will go on to care for - it's a burgeoning circular care economy," Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Shoemaker said.
VU's Professor of Public Health Karen Willis (pictured) has been educating healthcare workers for more than 30 years.
She is using that expertise to help develop ways to future-proof this next generation. "What we found was that most health organisations did try and protect the mental health of their workers, but they focused on individual resilience. We found that actually health care workers …are a very resilient group anyway. The issues were really with the organisational responses to health care workers."
VU's Associate Professor Gina Kruger, head of Nursing and Midwifery program that manages around 1500 students said sustainability around keeping graduates working the healthcare sector beyond a few years was critical. "At VU, we have varied programs looking at things like human skills, building resilience, leadership and contemporary skills to help educate the nurses and midwives for tomorrow."
The new Footscray Hospital
Our newest and nearest neighbour will have a significant impact, not only on the community of the west, but on our students and researchers. Set to open in early 2026, the site has been transformed from a car park to a $1.5 billion, ultramodern hospital with more than 550 beds, and treating 15,000 patients.
University students and staff will have easy access to the hospital via the footbridge which links our two institutions. The interior features artwork by Boonwurrung, Wemba Wemba and Trawlwoolway multidisciplinary artist Jarra Karalinar Steel, whose work Time of Renewal draws inspiration from the long-standing connections that the Aboriginal people of the Kulin Nation have with the western metropolitan region of Naarm (Melbourne).
Set to open in early 2026, the hospital will enable the creation of a world-class health and education precinct in and around VU's Footscray Park Campus. It will benefit students in our Health and Biomedicine and Sports and Exercise courses. This health hub will be amplified by VU's new research facility embedded within the hospital. This multi-million-dollar investment will allow VU to expand its research strengths in preventative disease and healthy ageing in line with the needs of the local community through its Institute for Health and Sport.
Partnerships with Western Health and Mercy Health enable around 1500 VU students to complete clinical placement each year, allowing them to gain valuable, real-world experience. In Western Health sites alone, over 110,000 hours of placement are completed by VU students each year.
Over our long and consistent partnership, thousands of VU paramedics have been recruited to Ambulance Victoria (AV). The collaboration advances paramedicine education, research, and training, featuring AV's first Capability Hub which promotes innovation in pre-hospital emergency care.
VU is investing $10 million towards Australia's first Centre of Excellence in Paramedicine based at the University's Sunshine Campus. The centre, set to open in 2026, will support paramedics with post qualification training, feature simulation labs and create pathways for VU researchers to work with leading health professionals.
The VU Block Model®
VU respects legacy and continuity, but it is also an institution that embraces change. In 2018, we were the first university in Australia to introduce the VU Block Model, an intentionally disruptive decision to help drive student retention and radically rethink tertiary education.
Students study one subject at a time, over a four-week 'block'. Smaller class sizes foster connection and collaboration, and fast feedback ensures students' stay on track. Today, the VU Block Model is an award-winning approach that has improved both pass rates and retention.
For VU student Daisy, coming to VU is a family tradition. Her mum Iris also studied here. Daisy is studying speech pathology because it combines her love of languages and health.
"Because with speech pathology, there's so many pathways that you can go into. People just think of stuttering and lisps and other speech impediments, but it's so much more than that. It is strokes, traumatic brain injuries, swallowing and nursing home care."
Daisy Shaw, Speech Pathology student
"Being able to devote my full attention to one subject at a time was a lot less stressful than juggling four subjects like a sleep-deprived circus act. The VU Block Model is a system that works incredibly well for me and has helped me stay (mostly) sane on this wild academic ride."
Renee Carter, Paramedicine student
"Nursing has always been my dream. I have always admired nurses and their care. My son was in and out of the hospital as a child, and the nurses treated and cared for him like their own child. My sister had a stroke in 2023, and the nurses at the Royal Melbourne Hospital were like a miracle to me. They did a fantastic job. I chose VU because the VU Block Model learning matches my lifestyle. I have personal commitments and responsibilities, so I find it hard at times to manage, but the teachers are supportive."
Feeda Nagi, Diploma of Nursing student
