Teachers and school leaders in Ballarat and western Victoria can now boost their skills even further with a new Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership centre transforming education in the region.

Minister for Education Ben Carroll visited the Ballarat centre today for its official opening.

The facility features a state-of-the-art professional learning space, a Design Thinking Lab ideal for workshops and sharing new ideas, plus three remote learning studios to connect to professional learning in small groups.

This new centre has seen a consistent increase in participation from teachers in the Central Highlands area. More than 200 teachers and school leaders have attended professional learning here in the first half of 2024 with even more joining online from across Victoria.

It is one of seven regional centres opened as part of the Allan Labor Government’s $17.8 million investment to bring the Academy’s high quality professional learning to educators across regional Victoria.

The seven centres are located in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mildura, Moe and Shepparton.

20,000 rural and regional school staff have already boosted their teaching and leadership skills through professional learning at the local Academy centres, with many more set to attend by the end of the year.

The professional learning programs offer a unique opportunity to take Victoria’s highly skilled teachers and school leaders from great to exceptional. It encourages them to bring big new ideas to their classrooms and share modern, cutting-edge ways of teaching with colleagues.

The Labor Government invested an initial $148.2 million over four years to establish the Academy and its nine centres – including the original in East Melbourne – giving teachers and school leaders the opportunity to develop their skills and take student learning to the next level.

The Academy received an additional $10.3 million over 6 months in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 to continue offering evidence-informed professional learning to teachers and school leaders.

The Government is ensuring all Victorians can access quality education in the Education State no matter where they live.

Quote attributable to Minister for Education Ben Carroll

“We will continue to invest in our teachers and principals right across the state by supporting them with the best professional development opportunities and empowering them to deliver the best teaching practice to their students.”

Quote attributable to Victorian Academy of Teaching and Learning CEO Dr Marcia Devlin AM

“We are excited to see our statewide expansion continue with the Ballarat centre opening. The Academy is bringing world-class professional learning to the doorsteps of local school staff to help deliver better outcomes for all our students, especially in regional Victoria.”

Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison

“This new state of the art facility is such an exciting new addition to the community. It gives our hardworking teachers and school leaders a place to take their professional practice further and shows our support for the amazing work they do.”

Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle

“The establishment of the Academy in our community shows our support for the ongoing development of our hardworking teachers in Ballarat, and our commitment to the education state.”

Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett

“This centre is such an important new service – offering teachers the opportunity to learn, and develop skills and educational approaches that translate to better learning outcomes for kids across our region.”