College chairperson Steven Pollard said the decision was made at a meeting of the college’s governing council held in Merredin on Tuesday, June .

Mr Pollard said demand for electricians across the Wheatbelt has always been high, so it was only natural that the college extended its trade delivery into this area.

Apart from this aspect, there are too many apprentices who live in the Wheatbelt, yet go to Perth to access their trade training, he said.

The college should be servicing as many of these apprentices as possible.

College managing director John Scott said the decision to commence electrical trade delivery was consistent with Merredin’s developing as a service centre for the resources sector.

“Planning has already commenced in anticipation of this decision and I have made it clear that I want an electrical trade training capability that is deployable to the four major communities in the Wheatbelt, and not just Northam,” said Mr Scott.

It has been recently announced that the college is shortly to receive $2 million from the Federal Government, specifically for infrastructure development across the college.

The intention is to establish an electrical trade training workshop at the Northam campus, with provision to extend into telecommunications training at a later date and also to make provision to support electrical trade training within the new infrastructure to be built at the Merredin campus.

A trailer-based mobile training unit would also be purchased to enable electrical training to be delivered in Narrogin and Moora, if required.

“The college is likely to advertise for an electrical trades lecturer in third term,” Mr Scott said.

“However, any qualified electricians who would like to find out general information about TAFE lecturing are welcome to contact Peter Harding the director business development on 9622 0900 during the next few weeks or call in on Peter at the college shopfront in Fitzgerald Street, Northam.”