Collingwood Technical School
In July 1912, two years after The Education Act No. 2301, 1910 was
Over the next 75 years, the school expanded with new extensions and courses as
education assumed a prominent role in society. In 1916, during World War 1, the school
was used to rehabilitate returned soldiers and a Returned Soldiers Training Scheme
began. In 1931, during the Depression, classes started for unemployed youths. By
1935, the junior school had 788 enrolments - the largest of any metropolitan technical
school. The total enrolment was 1769.
passed, Collingwood Technical School (CTS) opened in modified bluestone buildings at
35 Johnston Street. These buildings were originally built in 1853 as the Collingwood
Town Hall and Court House. Within three weeks, there were 57 boys enrolled –
studying preliminary carpentry and pattern-making, plumbing, engineering, sheet iron
work and bricklaying. They attended two hours a night on three evenings a week. Many
of the students experienced long days – the young boys, some only 14, were up as
early as 6am for their local paper round and were studying into the evening. By
September, there were 72 students plus 12 Manual Arts students from Melbourne High
School. This latter group was the first of many students from other schools to study at
night throughout CTS’s history.
The following year in 1913, CTS opened its doors to juniors and took residence in new
permanent buildings erected on the site. It was classified as a trades school by the
Victorian Education Department. At the time, it offered carpentry, fitting and turning,
plumbing, bricklaying and plastering, with courses in electrical wiring and electrical and
Over the next 75 years, the school expanded with new extensions and courses as
education assumed a prominent role in society. In 1916, during World War 1, the school
was used to rehabilitate returned soldiers and a Returned Soldiers Training Scheme
began. In 1931, during the Depression, classes started for unemployed youths. By
1935, the junior school had 788 enrolments - the largest of any metropolitan technical
school. The total enrolment was 1769.
In 1937, Federal and State grants were made available for a Youth Employment
Scheme and there was a drop in junior school enrolments due to the opening of Preston
Technical School. Over the next couple of decades, new buildings were added and
numbers steadied. In 1970, Collingwood Technical School was renamed Collingwood
Technical College following the introduction of 'middle-level' engineering courses in
1968. Certificates of Technology were introduced and, in 1976, the college assumed
responsibility for high school evening classes at University High School as part of TAFE
operations. In 1979, recognising a shortage of skilled gardeners, the college introduced
horticultural studies in Parkville. A total of 96 apprentices enrolled. One year later, in
1980, the new Otter St building opened and was occupied midyear to be fully
operational a year later. At the time, 8000 full-time and part-time students enrolled in
TAFE courses at Collingwood.
Preston Technical School
In the mid-1930s, the idea of establishing a second technical school in the north of
Melbourne resurfaced. Preston Council provided land in St Georges Road and
Northcote City Council also offered money. Consequently by the end of 1936, the
building of Preston Technical School was nearing completion. The first meeting of the
school council was held in the Preston Town Hall. In 1937 the new school opened with
385 male students and 21 staff. Demand for technical education in the north grew, and
within three years, the school had outgrown its buildings and spilled over into temporary
quarters.
As World War II ended, students were being taught in classrooms at four state schools
in Preston and Northcote. While the Second World War had halted new construction,
building restarted after 1945 and in 1947 a workshop block was opened for teaching
carpentry and joinery, fitting and machining, plumbing and gas-fitting. By 1949, there
was a recognised need to educate girls in the technical area. Seven years later, Preston
Girls' Technical School opened in Cramer Street with up to 500 students. There was
also a push for the establishment of a diploma school offering tertiary courses in
engineering and science. By 1951, Preston was the biggest technical school in Victoria,
with 893 boys enrolled.
During the 1960s the college expanded and developed. In 1966, the college council
applied to affiliate the Preston Diploma School with the Victoria Institute of Colleges. By
1977, more than 100 courses were offered and a decade later, the college had a
student population of almost 17,000 prior to amalgamation.
Amalgamation and creation of NMIT
The contemporary entity that became NMIT, was formed in 1988 through the
amalgamation of Preston College of TAFE and Collingwood College of TAFE, to which
was attached the Parkville horticulture campus. The new entity, originally called
Northern Metropolitan College of TAFE, developed campuses at Heidelberg,
Greensborough and Epping to add to those existing at Preston, Collingwood and
Parkville. In 1996 the name was changed to Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE. In
1999, the acronym NMIT was adopted.
There were also training centres at Eden Park and Yan Yean, and during 2002, a
training centre was opened at Yarra Glen in the Yarra Valley and new campus in Ararat.
In 2004, NMIT opened another campus at Fairfield after the Parkville campus was
closed. Since then, an additional training centre has opened at Broadmeadows
(Northern AMEP Centre). Yarra Glen training centre and the Greensborough campus
were closed. The Ararat campus has become a working training centre – harvesting
olives from our olive groves and boasting a productive lavender farm and vineyard.
Melbourne Polytechnic
NMIT opened doors in the south in 2014, with a campus in High Street, Prahran. The
Prahran campus was originally named Melbourne Polytechnic before the name went
institute wide from October of that same year – no longer was Melbourne Polytechnic
exclusive to the north!
Today our programs encompass a broad course range that transcends the days of
carpentry, plumbing and sheet metal. We offer programs that include preapprenticeships, apprenticeships, certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate
degrees, bachelor degrees and master’s degrees. There are also articulated pathways
to university studies. Melbourne Polytechnic hosts a large cohort of international
students as well as delivering programs with 25 partner institutions throughout Asia.
One of the most significant aspects of Melbourne Polytechnic’s development are the
strong links forged with industry and the community. Students are taught by industry
experienced teachers in courses that meet the needs of industry today.