LOCAL politicians and education administrators have moved to end uncertainty over the future of Bendigo’s new technical college when it becomes part of the state system Talks were held yesterday on how to integrate the new $10 million Australian Technical College in Myer Street into the state vocational system, enabling it to run alongside existing BRIT campuses.

Commonwealth funding for the ATC will continue until the end of next year when it is expected to be integrated into the state system.

Community leaders were keen to portray this move as an opportunity to create more trade and technical learning opportunities by pooling resources and building on the existing strengths of both facilities.

Bendigo MP Steve Gibbons said the Federal Government’s policy had always been about eliminating the duplication created when the former Howard government developed an isolated system.

Mr Gibbons said the partnership could prove the ideal launch pad for further growth with the Rudd Government’s $2.5 billion Trade Training Centre program offering $1 million to develop trade training in secondary schools.

He said Bendigo’s secondary colleges had the potential to pool resources and join the united training schools program.

“We want to create a cluster and it is vitally important that this is done in conjunction with industry and that the ATC has an input into that,’’ Mr Gibbons said.

“The best possible scenario is we can utilise all these aspects and create facilities so Bendigo becomes renowned as a technical training centre.’’

ATC chairman Don Erskine said the success of the college in working with industry was one of the strengths it could bring to new arrangement.

“Our success has been about industry telling us what skills are needed,’’ Mr Erskine said.

He said rather than the ATC and BRIT competing for the same students, they could provide more options. Mr Erskine said the ATC was already working with BRIT and sharing facilities at the Charleston Road campus.

Victorian Skills Minister Jacinta Allan said discussions would continue before a formal position was made public, but the State Government was eager to make Bendigo’s training facilities complement each other.

Ms Allan said the State Government’s $11 million expansion of the BRIT Charleston Road campus showed the value the government placed in skills training in Bendigo.