Regional Futures: Development and sustainability pathways for the South West of Western Australia

ECU co-designs its learning and teaching, as well as its research and development, with industry to support the Region's prosperity. With a future-focused approach, we are an influential presence in regional WA, anchored in the South West. We are committed to building an innovation ecosystem through our strategic partnerships which drive stronger economies and provide better quality of life. It is our social responsibility to be responsive to local need and we continue to improve access, participation, and outcomes for our regional students.

Innovation

Meeting global challenges through world-class research, technology and thought leadership which can translate into practical solutions.

Entrepreneurship

Building regional capability and capacity, supporting startups with strategic acumen and building communities of practice.

Leadership

Playing a lead role in collaborations and partnerships across government, tertiary providers and industry.

Grounded in the community

ECU South West is strongly supported through its South West Campus Advisory Board – community and business leaders who are recognised and connected.

Building and strengthening our regional health sector

Through strong partnerships with government, local industry and the community, $17M of Commonwealth Government funding was achieved in 2022 to establish the University of Department Rural Health South West (UDRH SW), with ongoing operational funding under the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program and based from the ECU South West Bunbury Campus. With placement sites across the Region, e.g. Collie, Busselton, Margaret River, Manjimup, Bridgetown, Donnybrook, Northcliffe, Augusta, Harvey and Bunbury, the UDRH SW is an academic centre, supporting health students to live, learn, and train in regional, rural and remote communities.

ECU University Department of Rural Health South West

Tackling the local healthcare gap through enriching placement experiences for students located at ECU South West Bunbury Campus, the UDRH SW encourages postgraduate students to return to take on health professional roles and local research.

The discipline coverage is immense, including emergency medicine, aged care, mental health, disability, child, and family health across community settings such as primary and secondary schools.

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Health and Education Precinct

The ECU South West Bunbury Campus is the driver of the Health and Education Precinct which includes partners such as St John of God Hospital, Bunbury Regional Hospital, the WA County Health Service (South West) and South Regional TAFE. We provide state-of-the-art health and education facilities which include high and low fidelity simulated practice wards and a demonstration classroom, ensuring authentic environments for skills development. ECU partners with the WA Country Health Service (South West) to actively support nurses and midwives and engages with local schools and early learning centres for Pre-Service Teachers.

ECU's School of Nursing and Midwifery

With a reputation for producing some of the highest quality nursing and midwifery graduates in Western Australia, the School is recognised as a top 30 nursing program worldwide.

Celebrating over 40 years of excellence, the School strives to be recognised as national leaders, providing innovative, high-quality education and translational research that makes a difference to the lives of people in our regional communities.

Our point of distinction is we remain the only Australian university accredited by the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. Extending from ECU Joondalup and ECU South West to Sri Lanka and Singapore, we have over 65 partnerships across the globe, building nursing capacity and leadership internationally.

Explore ECU South West facilities

ECU's School of Education

The ECU South West Bunbury Campus features a childhood and primary teaching demonstration facility for ECU's School of Education students. This state-of-the-art classroom supports Pre-Service Teachers (for ages birth to Year 10), and is equipped with innovative technology which will provide enriching learning experiences while fostering groundbreaking research that will serve the education sector in the South West. The new Bachelor of Education Year 1 – 10 course is designed specifically to equip the regional teaching workforce. Pre-Service Teachers will have the chance to specialise in either mathematics, science or health and physical education.

Expansion of the renewable energy workforce

Australia's 2030 renewable energy targets require a robust energy workforce. Expansion of ECU’s advanced manufacturing and renewables capability continues to be built through our partnerships across mining and resource sectors. The State is deeply committed to development of the Collie region which is undergoing a significant energy transition, and ECU will continue to identify growth opportunities supporting regional pathways for training needs in the renewable energy space.

Future-ready graduate employment opportunities

Bunbury is uniquely suited to host a South West Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Hub (AMTECH) and Advanced Manufacturing Facility. In fostering mutually beneficial relationships between our students and industry, we will continue to facilitate opportunities to drive innovation and leading-edge research to support Australia's green energy future.

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Better quality of life and healthy aging

ECU's School of Medical and Health Sciences brings together a world of discipline areas including paramedicine, nutrition and dietetics, and exercise physiology. These multidisciplinary approaches hold a wealth of benefits for the health and wellness needs of the regional community, vital in addressing healthcare disparities in remote locations and improving access to quality services.

Allied Health Hub South West

In 2026, the ECU South West Bunbury campus will see the introduction of an Allied Health Hub to serve as a paramedic training facility and scenario teaching space for our students.

A Vario clinical exercise space will also be established, which will deliver clinical exercise programs in one central location providing a range of exercise options across exercise physiology, dietetics and physiotherapy.

A wide range of offerings will be available to the regional community spanning the management of chronic conditions, injury recovery and prevention, nutritional education and mental health support.

Explore ECU’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute

Transition to net zero and sustainable energy solutions

ECU understands the unique environmental sustainability challenges faced in the South West region as it works towards clean energy solutions. Environmentally sensitive approaches are reflected in targeted government funding which supports large-scale industrial projects and workforce development focussed on a net zero world. Demand for local skills and training will grow existentially, with ECU at the forefront in working with industry to harness training and education opportunities which meet rapidly evolving global needs.

Innovative approaches to environmental challenges

WA's clean energy projects are creating jobs in the regions, supporting local economies and diversifying careers. Shifting away from emissions-intensive industries, ECU are developing pathways for future industry training.

With the recent establishment of Australia's first Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence in WA, expanding capacities of higher education, TAFE and training networks will be vital in training future workforces for the clean energy sector. By aligning education with environmental needs, ECU will reinvent what current training systems can offer with our graduates who will drive change.

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Student Life at ECU South West

Studying and living in the regions with ECU

ECU Learning Centre Busselton is improving access, participation and attainment of higher education for those in the South West completing their ECU degrees online.

We also have partnerships with the Pilbara Kimberley University Centre and Great Southern Regional Universities Centre, supporting you to stay in your community through access to online and in-person courses at ECU.

A group of graduating students pose for a selfie

Celebrating our graduates

A key event for ECU South West is the iconic Graduation Parade – an annual street procession through Bunbury featuring our graduating students and academic leaders. The 2025 parade was particularly memorable, with 33 children graduating from Children's University (also dressed in academic regalia). They are the first cohort to graduate from the South West arm of this fantastic program.

The Parade truly captures the thriving spirit in the South West, bringing the local community together in celebration.

Click here to view last year's graduation parade video

Collaborating for success

ECU South West continues to build and develop strong partnerships with industry groups and governmental bodies. Our collaborations extend to all types of businesses, including new start-ups, small to medium enterprises, not-for-profits, community organisations and large corporates in the resources sector.

ECU continues to extend its footprint by building deep connections in the local communities it was established to serve. Our industry-ready graduates are key to the growth of the skilled local workforce in the South West and we aim to ensure that all people in regional, rural and remote areas can access the education they need to reach their potential.

Our learning community is fortunate to enjoy a diverse range of regional researchers that visit the ECU South West Bunbury Campus regularly for networking, workshops and knowledge exchange events.

South West's regional university campus – driving growth

Our endgame is ensuring the regions can own their success because it truly is a community-wide effort. Our graduates are equipped to contribute to the workforce with a focus on ethical and engaged citizenship, and to our industries as creative thinkers and innovators.

An intergenerational community

We provide and facilitate diverse approaches to learning in the community across the entire lifespan.

The South West Regional Primary Extension and Challenge Program is delivered on the ECU South West Bunbury Campus. A Department of Education WA initiative, it aims to engage gifted and talented students in regional schools.

The Children's University was first established in WA by ECU in 2017 with the first South West cohort graduating in 2024. Designed for school-age children, it aims to inspire a passion for learning from a young age.

University of the Third Age Bunbury meets at the ECU South West Bunbury Campus regularly and is an adult self-help education program for people over 50 years of age who are no longer working full time.

News

ECU is proud to congratulate Professor Cobie Rudd, ECU's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures), on receiving the inaugural national Highly Commended Award for Outstanding Leader for extraordinary contributions to gender equity, diversity and inclusion.

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Contact

Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures)

ECU South West Campus

Building 1, 585 Robertson Drive Bunbury WA 6230

regionalfuturesdvc@ecu.edu.au

t: +61 8 9780 7715

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