HORSHAM Rural City Council and the University of Ballarat have signed a memorandum of understanding to build on their partnership at the Horsham campus.
Vice-Chancellor Professor David Battersby said the agreement had many positives apart from marking the 10-year anniversary of the campus.
"It is an important agreement. Our intention is to publicly affirm our partnership and to also have a formal way to meet and discuss mutually beneficial projects in the future," Prof Battersby said.
He said the university and the council were working on several initiatives, including an internship program.
"One great example of this agreement is that we are planning a program to have students from a number of different faculties placed in Horsham council. It will provide the council with a great way to recruit graduates and keep them in the area and also give students vital work experience, so it will benefit both sides," he said.
Prof Battersby said marketing, management and engineering students would do internships and work placements with the council.
"We have always had good relations but they have been at an informal level. As part of the agreement we will formally meet a couple of times a year. We will be able to discuss projects and ways of working together," he said.
Prof Battersby said the Horsham campus was important to the university and he hoped the partnership with the council would help the campus to grow.
"We will be having our first meeting soon and one of the items on the agenda will be opportunities to increase courses offered in Horsham," he said.
Prof Battersby said Horsham was one of few regional centres to have a university.
"There are significant opportunities in Horsham to expand and we are looking at those opportunities," he said.