The Tomaree Business Chamber has proposed a joint university and TAFE for Tomaree.
The $10 million plan for the business-centred Nelson Bay CBD is part of a plan to localise higher education and encourage more people to pursue it.
It's said to have received solid support from local businesses and the wider community.
Chamber Business Development Manager Peter Clough says encouraging the upskilling of workers is a priority for Nelson Bay.
'The aged care industry and the tourism industry employ very large numbers up here, and this would bring more of an opportunity for locals. There's a lot of people who have to be very skilled for these jobs, particularly in aged care.'
He says the project has strong backing from local council because of its benefits for employment in the local industries that need it most.
'There's about 200 students leaving year twelve every year [in Nelson Bay]. A lot of them leave the area because they can't get higher education up here, and also for jobs. But there's a great opportunity for some of the students who might be interested in pursuing tertiary education or some kind of trade or apprenticeship that might otherwise be turned off of it if they had to travel.
'We're trying to create that conversion rate for getting people further trained and educated.'
