Career pathways into the forestry industry are among the specialties on offer for the first students enrolled in the new Limestone Coast Technical College.
Opening today, the $38.5 million facility prepares school students for careers in primary industries, trades, health and education in the Limestone Coast region.
Each of the specialty training areas at the Limestone Coast Technical College has been co-designed with industry to directly meet demand within the local region for employable skills, now and into the future, with graduates going into apprenticeships, employment or further study.
The college’s Agri-Tech stream, for example, will focus on emerging technology, including artificial intelligence and automation, and how to apply it in the agriculture, horticulture and viticulture industries. Students can also obtain a drone pilot’s license and entry-level skills to work in forestry or on farms.
Limestone Coast is one of five purpose-built technical colleges established that was promised at the 2022 state election, to offer students from Year 10 through to Year 12 an alternative way to still achieve their SACE, in a much more career-focused way.
Each technical college has its own employer partners, depending on local need for job-ready graduates. At Limestone Coast, employer partners include:
- Group Training Employment
- Timberlink
- OneFortyOne
- Treasury Wine Estates
- Beyond Early Learning
- Boneham Aged Care Services
- Boandik Lodge
- Guardian Early Childhood
- Bunge
- DMK Engineering
- SA Power Networks
- Limestone Coast Local Health Network – with fast-tracked pathways to university to train as a nurse, allied health professional or educator.
The Limestone Coast Technical College also offers supervised short-stay accommodation. This means students who live more than an hour’s drive from Mount Gambier can access the programs and stay overnight. These students might otherwise have had to relocate to Adelaide or another larger centre to access pathways training.
There are more than 230 students in Years 10 and 11 enrolled in the college for Term 1, 2026. It is expected enrolments will grow to 400 students in 2027.
For more information about the industry-based training, visit the Limestone Coast Technical College website.
Posted 02/02/2026
