A construction project designed to offer state of the art social housing has passed one of it's first major milestones, with the $2.2 million investment starting to take shape thanks to the efforts of TAFE students and tradesmen.
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The social housing unit, located on Short Street, will replace a three bedroom house with eight distinct housing apartments in a two-storey configuration.
The renewal investment is expected to both senior community members on the social housing waiting list and TAFE students, who are assisting with construction as part of a program between TAFE and the NSW Land and Housing Corporation.
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Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders called the sight 'very exciting' after visiting the construction effort.
"It's building on the commitment we have in the state government for more social housing, there's another project set to start in the next month or so in Dubbo on Jubilee Street," Mr Saunders said.
"This growing edifice will be a great solution for some of the many people who need social housing in Dubbo."
The project on Jubilee Street is expected to represent a $4.58 million investment and will result in 14 new social housing properties that will be made available to those on the social housing wait-list.
The current Short Street project is targeting completion at the end of next year and currently involves four TAFE students as part of the ongoing work crew.
Officials on-site expected at least 45 students to rotate through the construction effort over the next year and were optimistic about the potential for those students to go on to find ongoing employment with the skills they've honed through the partnership program.
Mark Penman, head teacher of construction trades at TAFE, said the experience offered through the partnership was 'great'.
"It's fantastic to partner up with Land and Housing Corporation on this, it is a pre-apprenticeship type program the students are going through," Mr Penman said.
"You really can't represent this any other way than with real world scenarios, getting them on the job and getting the experience alongside tradesman in a range of trades is phenomenal."
The students on-site will receive real world experience across a variety of vocations through the program, with possibilities for future employment across a range of construction discipline.
"It really lets them create that full picture; they can determine where their interests lie and how their skills are going and decide where they want to end up," Mr Penman said.
