austraLasia
1477
Major Australian
Technical initiative based at Melbourne Salesian
School
MELBOURNE: 6th March 2005
-- The Australian Commonwealth Government, which has gradually become the
major player in education over the local State Governments has, over recent
years, been planning for a major initiative to provide sorely needed traditional
technical skills for the Australian labour market. In January 2006, 25
Australian Technical Colleges opened across the nation. One of those is
based in Eastern Melbourne on two campuses, one of which is St. Joseph's College
Ferntree Gully, a Salesian school. Appropriately, the new St.
Joseph's-based campus opened on 31st January.
The
initiative puts St. Joseph's College as a Catholic and Salesian school in the
forefront of technical training innovation in the country. ATC schools involve
local industry (therefore their local offerings respond to local needs), fit in
with local infrastructure - and this includes, in the case of St. Joseph's
College, that there are effectively two schools operating on the same campus,
independently but connectedly. Hence local business, industry
representatives, schools, Technical and Further Education bodies combine in
supporting and administering the entity known as the Australian Technical
College - Eastern Melbourne (in this case). The scheme responds to needs
that were once only met through the apprenticeship system.
Each campus specialises in a particular trade area. In 2006, the St.
Joseph's-based trade specialisation is Cabinet-making and
Electrotechnology. Elsewhere, in the other campus at Ringwood, there is
Automotive and Hospitality trades. In the future, the Ferntree Gully
campus will add in Building and Construction. Students who take part in
the ATC may often be normal Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) students,
that is Years 11 and 12 students who wish to complete a range of academic
subjects but combine that with a Trade Certificate. The idea is to widen
the options for employment and further training for all students while providing
for the local needs. It is, in educational terms, the best of both worlds,
something Don Bosco could only dream about - and he dreamed about many things we
know!
If you wish to follow up on the notion of the ATC as
such, then a simple search on Australian Technical College in Wikipedia offers
clear information. As the entry currently stands there are several
referecnes to 'St Joseph's College' but none of them refer to the Ferntree Gully
Salesian entity. There are any number of St. Joseph's Colleges in
Australia! Anybody may add to Wikipedia, so undoubtedly this omission can soon
be remedied.
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