The impact of the Coffs Harbour Education Campus on the Coffs Coast regional economy

This paper examines the economic impact of the Coffs Harbour Education Campus (CHEC) on the Coffs Coast region of New South Wales (NSW). CHEC is an educational campus which combines offerings from three partners. These are Southern Cross University, Technical and Further Education (TAFE) NSW and a Senior College for secondary years eleven and twelve. The estimation of CHEC's economic impact on the region is based on the use of a regional input-output matrix which models the industry sectors of the region and the way in which these sectors interact to form the whole regional economy. This approach allows a logical and supportable method of determining the contribution of CHEC's operations to the region's economy. The Coffs Harbour Education Campus is found to be an important economic driver within the region. The CHEC facility offers the Coffs Coast region, and particularly the community's younger members, educational and career-development opportunities which may not otherwise be readily available. However, as this paper demonstrates, CHEC offers more to the region than the opportunity for educational development. It is a significant employer in its own right and, via the economic activity which it generates, a substantial current contributor to the region's household income and value of output.