Pilbara Universities Centre

The Pilbara Universities Centre (PUC) is a not-for-profit that was established in 2019 with support of the Federal and State governments and City of Karratha. With the nearest university to the Pilbara located around 1,600 kilometres away, PUC’s mission is to promote and support tertiary education in the region to all residents irrespective of their age or background. It also provides opportunity for people to stay in the Pilbara longer without having to leave their families, friends, homes or jobs in the pursuit of a university qualification.  

Through the Commission, the State Government provided a total of $550,000 from the Pilbara Education Partnership Fund to assist in PUC’s establishment and programs. This included $300,000 in 2019-20 and a further $250,000 in 2020-21. 

The first tranche of funding contributed towards the fit-out of PUC’s purpose-built campus on Level 1 of the Quarter HQ building in central Karratha, completed in June 2020. The funding delivered in 2020-21 supported the expansion of PUC’s Port Hedland study hub. A new, part-time study hub co-ordinator was employed to provide face-to-face academic, pastoral and administrative support to Port Hedland based students and a new Port Hedland based nursing academic was engaged to co-deliver PUC’s rapidly growing residential nursing program. 

PUC’s Port Hedland-based students and coordinator are located at The WEB Business Hub, which was established in 2019 with State Government and industry funding. The residential nursing program is a partnership between the PUC and CQ University and is delivered in study blocks of three days each at multiple periods during Semester 1 and Semester 2 of the university year. Students stay at the Mirnutharntu Maya accommodation in South Hedland and study at the accredited nursing education facilities at North Regional TAFE’s Pundulmurra campus.