UCOL PLACES SHOVEL-READY BID

Palmerston North polytechnic UCOL plans to build a new $8 million healthcare education centre and hopes to have state help.

Work is ready to start on a facility for 500 full-time-equivalent students a year and UCOL has applied for the funding from the Government’s shovel-ready infrastructure scheme.

The fund is for projects ready to go immediately or within six to 12 months, to aid New Zealand’s

economic revival after the coronavirus downturn.

The old PSA building on King St is the site of the new facility. The building is owned by UCOL and is empty because of seismic strengthening requirements.

The education centre will house healthcare and social assistance education in one purpose-built facility to meet the needs of the health and social services sectors.

UCOL’S executive director for education and applied research, Jerry Shearman, said the centre would allow the polytech to increase nursing and healthrelated student numbers by 50 per cent over time, and to educate students in response to community and mental health needs.

‘‘Now more than ever our regions need suitably qualified health workers. The centre will provide an education environment for the healthcare professionals of tomorrow.’’

A UCOL spokeswoman said the project had already started, with concept planning, earthquake soil testing, surveying and ground testing completed.

Detailed plans are being produced to get the project to the tender stage. Work is planned to start in July, but UCOL would have to reassess that if the shovel-ready application was unsuccessful, the spokeswoman said.

Health education makes up a third of UCOL’S activity, and the polytech expects strong demand for nursing, medical imaging and community health training to continue. The new centre is expected to offer greater connections with community health organisations.

The facility is slated for completion in March. ‘‘The project is hammer ready and will make an economic difference to our region both during and post construction,’’ Shearman said.

The proposal had the support of the Palmerston North City Council, the Central Economic Development Agency, the Midcentral District Health Board, iwi and the health sector, Shearman said.

‘‘Now more than ever our regions need suitably qualified health workers.’’

Jerry Shearman

UCOL’S executive director for education and applied research