Building careers and new skills in Geelong
18/11/2025There are more than city-shaping structures being built at the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre.
The Geelong City Deal project is also building new skills and careers, including for people who have experienced barriers to employment.
Through a joint Victorian Government, industry and community program called ‘GEESP’, the project has seen more than 40 apprenticeships created and more than 37,000 hours of training across a variety of trades.
It’s a figure expected to hit 45,000 hours by time that Nyaal Banyul is completed, showcasing the skills and jobs-creation power of the project.
The GEESP program creates career pathways in construction via nationally accredited qualifications – and it’s just won the Industry Collaboration category at the 2025 Victorian Training Award.
It’s also just seen its first apprentice, Georgia, move into ongoing employment with Faulkner Roofing, a Geelong company that has installed 8,000 square metres of roofing at the convention centre precinct.
See Georgia’s story:
The GEESP program was co-designed by Development Victoria, the Give Where You Live Foundation’s GROW initiative, and social enterprise gforce, and is being delivered by the Nyaal Banyul head contractor, Built.
Many of the program's participants faced significant barriers to work before stepping onto site – long-term unemployment, educational challenges, or limited industry access.
They’ve now benefited from access to 12 weeks of fully funded training at the Gordon TAFE, mentoring, pre-employment guidance and on-site work experience.
Beyond the career-shaping apprenticeship opportunities, the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre development has also created 1,450 jobs during construction. And there are hundreds more expected once the project finishes.
Nyaal Banyul is funded through the Geelong City Deal, a $676 million investment from the Australian and Victorian governments and City of Greater Geelong to unlock the potential of the Great Ocean Road visitor economy
The project is being delivered as a partnership with the Plenary Conventions consortium, with Plenary Group as a sponsor, investor and hotel and commercial building developer, Built as builder, Woods Bagot as architect and BGIS as facilities manager. Once completed, the centre will be operated by the Victorian Convention and Event Trust.