For decades, residents in outback New South Wales were forced to move away from home if they wanted a university education.
But all that is changing with the rising success of Broken Hill's Country Universities Centre (CUC).
In an area where industries such as health, education and social sciences are chronically understaffed, the CUC is helping to both attract and retain workers.
"We're averaging around 150 to 180 students each semester," centre manager Sarah Rolton said.
Students stay local
Since opening its doors in 2018 the CUC has grown significantly — roughly doubling its initial funding quota of 90 students.
It has encouraged more people to study in an area which has one of the lowest rates of tertiary education in NSW.
Of the centre's 2022 graduates, around 95 per cent remained to work in the Silver City.
"We know that if students stay in community and have that connection to say an employer or workforce, they're more likely to stay and serve that community," Ms Rolton said.
The centre provides academic support, workshops and allows those studying a space to work both solo and collaboratively.
"We've created a real connected learning community," Ms Rolton said.
'Only option' was to leave
Primary school teacher Phoebe Kaye, 24, was one of those who would have traditionally been forced to leave her home to find tertiary education.
Phoebe was one of a handful of her high school classmates who remained in Broken Hill studying via distance.
"It was very common for them to think that the only option was for them to have to leave Broken Hill," she said.
"There were only two or three of the people who went to university from my year group who stayed in Broken Hill."
Before studying at the CUC, Phoebe was considering leaving to study on campus more than 1,000 kilometres from home and her support network of family and friends.
"When you're online you have to call and if the lines are busy you have to wait and you have to call back again," she said.
Staying in the Silver City allowed Phoebe to maintain the rural lifestyle she enjoyed growing up.
"It led to opportunities for me to do all my placements locally, then when I finished my degree I had lots of options for where I could go and get work," she said.
Cory Paulson credits the CUC for helping him graduate with honours in his health science degree.
"They showed me around the facility and they opened my mind to what was on offer," he said.
The Worimi and Minjinbul man believes it has led to better outcomes for Indigenous community members across the state's west.
"To have Aboriginal faces in front of Aboriginal consumers is probably the biggest benefit," he said.
Cory credits the staff at the CUC Far West for his success, and that of many other students.
"It's all about the staff down there mate, locations don't sort of come alive [without] ... the people," he said.
Breaking down education barriers
According to the centre's manager, more than 50 per cent of people currently using the CUC are the first in their family to study at university.
"It can feel like this mystical, far-away place if you've never been there," Ms Rolton said.
"We're trying to break down that jargon and those barriers and really show that it's accessible."
Ms Rolton believes word is spreading around the city, with more people who are interested in studying reaching out.
