CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Jan. 12 (PNA) -- Construction of necessary facilities worth P240 million for the proposed Australian vocational college is nearing completion at the 30-hectare area of Expo-Filipino here at Clark Freeport.

To be known as Clark International City Vocational College, it is scheduled to start operating this coming February with about 150 to 200 students from China, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries, who will pay P400,000 a year with free board and lodging.

The college is being established by the Australian International Training and Management Group (AITMG) with a committed investment of P1.4 billion.

Kingsley Clark, AITMG chief executive officer, said during a press briefing here Monday that construction of the college facilities started in October last year.

The Australian firm will shoulder the rentals of the entire Expo-Filipino site but it was not immediately known for how much.

The college will operate under Australian standards and deliver Australian courses.

AITGM officers said that Australian vocational education is regarded as being the best in the world, with employers throughout the world recognizing Australian qualifications, providing students with greater employment and income opportunities throughout the world.

“This will provide students access to a world class education in a more convenient location and at a substantially lower cost compared to studying in Australia,” AITGM officers said.

They added that Philippine students will also benefit from accessing higher paying job opportunities with an internationally recognized Australian qualification.

Vernon Wills, AITGM chairman, said that the “layout of the original Expo Filipino site has been an excellent fit to an educational campus.”

He added that the college will ultimately have the capacity to hold 15,000 students upon reaching full capacity after a number of years.

Presently, more than 1,000 construction jobs were created to work over the number of years, with more than 90 percent of those jobs being provided to Filipinos. (PNA)