The first shovels of soil have been dug to signal the start of work on a new Charles Sturt University (CSU) building in Victoria.

The $7 million project will see a joint facility established and shared between CSU and the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE (GOTAFE).

The site is set to offer a range of crucially lacking courses for students in regional Victoria. Degrees will include agriculture business management, agriculture wine business, horticulture, nursing and others.

The university's centre manager, Robyn Farley, has welcomed the start of construction and says she is looking forward to catering for about 180 students when it is fully established.

“The building has been designed to complement the existing GOTAFE facilities in Wangaratta, next we'll have five degrees on offer through supported distance education,” she said.