Tonsley Technical College will offer three specific industry areas of advanced manufacturing and engineering for careers in defence, automotive, energy to work with electric vehicles and renewables, and building and construction for trade careers.
Three new employee partners have signed up to support these key pathways – SARAH construction, who is building the college, advanced electronics manufacturer REDARC and Climate Impact Corporation (CIC), a leader in the renewable hydrogen sector.
They are in addition to three leading employee partners already supporting Tonsley; Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC), the Master Builders Association (MBA) and Motor Trades Association (MTA).
With the first full student intake due next year, the construction work is nearing its end, with external cladding, including the façade veil now complete, and the first installation of internal services also done. Internal glazing, painting and joinery are currently underway, along with external landscaping and civil works.
The building work is due for completion in the middle of the year, with tours for both prospective students and the general community to take place in semester two.
The Tonsley project is a significant collaboration between the Department for Education and Flinders University’s Factory of the Future, which is an industry-focused research and capability-building facility.
The project features timber products sourced from the NeXTimber pine mass timber facility at Timberlink in the southeast to help reduce the carbon footprint of the construction work, with much of the timber remaining exposed as part of the design.
The Tonsley Technical College, which will be run in conjunction with the Australian Science and Maths School, and the Bedford Park campus of Flinders University, is part of the significant South Australian Government investment of $208.8 million to provide vocational education and training and hands-on practical skills development for students.
Five new technical colleges – three in Adelaide and two in regional South Australia – will support students in years 10 to 12 as they complete their SACE, with learning-centred around industry training programs, designed and delivered in partnership with employers, with guaranteed career opportunities for graduates.
Each technical college is designed to replicate the look, feel and flow of industry workplace environments.
Findon Technical College is open now, with the other four – Tonsley, Port Augusta (opening later this year), Limestone Coast, and the Heights – all taking 2026 enrolments now.
