On the home stretch
With
the crisis in availability of qualified tradespeople at the forefront of
national political debate it is perhaps no surprise that UniSA has had some
home-stretch problems in completing the stunning new buildings at City West.
Construction on the $41.5 million buildings covering 14,000m2 in area began in high spirits in 2003 with an expected completion date of November last year. But by mid-2004, with skilled workers harder and harder to find and major new construction projects beginning across Adelaide, it became apparent that the target dates would not be met.
In keeping with a strong plan for communications across campuses about the impact of the Blueprint 2005 building projects on both students and staff, UniSA has endeavoured to keep everyone informed about delays. Close liaison with the builders has been consistently maintained and senior academics have been in constant communication with students; student representatives, staff and project managers to minimise the impact on students’ work.
To date the impact of the delay has affected a small number of courses. In all cases, every effort has been made to help all affected parties. Where necessary, additional spaces have been rented, classes rescheduled and assessment procedures altered. Counselling about any difficulties with completing program requirements has also been made available for students to ensure they are not disadvantaged.
In the meantime the many hundreds of students who have moved into the new buildings without complications are expressing real enthusiasm for the purpose built design features and ambience of these fresh new learning environments.