News
Latest news from the Diversity in Volunteering Program - A joint initiative of the SES NSW, ACE Unit and Community Colleges
Indigenous Public Safety Course Graduates Volunteer for State Emergency Service (SES) - 25 May 2009
Aboriginal graduates of the public safety and rescue training course that was recently delivered in Nowra would now like to volunteer as SES emergency service workers. The 8-week training project was a collaboration between the SES, Shoalhaven Community College, the local Aboriginal community and Habitat Personnel.
The twelve successful course participants will graduate at a ceremony to be held at the Shoalhaven SES Unit on 3rd June. The ceremony has attracted an impressive guest list to celebrate the achievements of graduates and the success of this pioneering program which was made possible with funding from the Adult and Community Education (ACE) Unit (NSW Department of Education and Training) and the federal Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).
The project is one of 17 delivered through a partnership between the SES, ACE Unit, and rural community colleges throughout NSW. The two-fold goal of this partnership is enhancement of indigenous participation in the SES and increased capacity of the community to protect itself in the face of disaster.
The project was co-ordinated by Habitat Personnel who recruited volunteer participants for the training course from the local Aboriginal community. Habitat Manager, Cindy Holmes said, “when we were invited to help increase the employment skills of participants and further their opportunities for employment we saw the great opportunities the project offered ....and we’re delighted to deliver extra training that meant participants could get a full Certificate II in Public Safety plus tickets in construction industry work”.
“The partnership and all levels of the SES have worked really hard to make this project a success….including SES trainers Richard Orchard and Bill Webster who worked closely with participants over a pretty intensive 8 weeks,” said Kiama Community College Director, Helen Zwicker.
Carl Ralph, SES Community Liaison Officer for Indigenous Communities, has provided invaluable support for the project and is a keen mentor for all Indigenous SES volunteers in NSW.
Participants now regularly attend local SES unit meetings, an eligibility requirement for SES volunteer membership. Local Controller Ian Borrowdale, says the unit has given participants a very warm welcome. Illawarra South Coast Region Controller, Peter Higgins is a keen supporter of the project and is keen to see a lot more run throughout the region.
North West SES Response to North Coast Flooding - 25 May 2009
The Bogabilla Indigenous Induction and General Rescue graduation scheduled for 24th May has been postponed while 6 of our program graduates and Carl Ralph (SES Community Liaison, Indigenous Communities and keen mentor of the ACE SES program) join the rescue efforts on the eastern coast of northern NSW. Read more about the SES Response...
Opening of new premises for North West Community College
Ms Karyn Palluzzano MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Training, represented the Minister at the opening of the new administration office of the North West Community College at Rouse Hill Town Centre on 9 March 2009.
North West Community College has provided adult and community education courses in the Blacktown and Hills region of Sydney since 1987, firstly as the Blacktown Community College, before amalgamating with the Hills Day and Evening College in 2000 and renaming itself North West Community College.
The new college premises located in the Community Learning Space in the new Rouse Hill Town Centre are close to other learning and education providers and facilities. The move to these premises will provide up-to-date services and delivery to meet education and training needs in the expanding Rouse Hill region.
In her speech, Ms Palluzzano noted the enormous changes taking place in Rouse Hill with major residential and business developments and said that the move by North West College to the Community Learning Space shows a commitment to the people of the local community.
Ms Palluzzano, congratulated the College on its role in providing pathways into employment and social participation. She said that their partnerships with local businesses and other community organisations has enabled the College to provide relevant training and employment opportunities for learners. She also spoke of the brokerage role that community colleges such as North West were providing to people that enabled them to make informed choices about vocational training.
North West College currently delivers 80,000 scheduled hours of training to more than 5,000 learners. The college provides training and support under the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program and was recently involved in a pilot program for Sudanese youth in the Blacktown area in a partnership between the college, Western Sydney TAFE and Blacktown Youth Services Association.
Special guests at the opening included: Dr John McIntyre, Chairman, NSW Advisory Committee on Community Education, Mr Michael Richardson MP, Member for Castle Hill, who is Patron of the College and Mr Ray Williams MP, Member for Hawkesbury.
Also present were colleagues from St George and Sutherland, Manly Warringah and Mosman Community Colleges, Community Colleges NSW, as well as staff and students from North West.
Left to Right: Ray Williams MP (Member for Hawkesbury), Eela Moorar (Principal, North West Community College), Brian Peace (Vice President, North West Community College), Karyn Palluzzano MP (Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Training), Michael Richardson MP (Member for Hills), Robert White (President, North West Community College).
Endorsed by Ministers in September 2008, this Declaration acknowledges adult commmunity education as a significant contributor to education and training provision and demonstrates the commitment of Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers to work collaboratively to maximise positive outcomes from this sector in Australia. Read more...
ADULT LEARNERS' WEEK 2008
Bob Frew Oration - The Future of ACE: The Policy Challenge, given by Dr John McIntyre, Chair, NSW Advisory Committee on Community Education.
To see an expanded outline of the oration together a Quicktime movie of the Powerpoint slides, please go to http://www.jamc.com.au/documents/McIntyre_Frew_Oration.mov.
Adult Learners' Week (ALW), a national celebration of lifelong learning in Australia, was celebrated again this year from 1-8 September. This year’s national theme focused on financial literacy and was promoted by the NSW theme Invest in Learning.
Fifty-two ACE organisations from metropolitan and rural regions hosted a variety of activities ranging from financial literacy workshops including debt management, household budgeting, on line banking, understanding superannuation to courses in computing, photography, Chinese brush painting. A number of awards evenings for tutors and adult learners were also held.
A network of 23 neighbourhood and community centres and 20 public libraries throughout NSW also conducted a number of events during ALW.
Further information regarding Adult Learners’ Week can be obtained from the ALW website at http://www.adultlearnersweek.org.
Launch of the Condobolin Vocational Training Alliance
ACE and TAFE in Partnership with the Community
At the launch of the Condobolin Vocational Training Alliance; Left to Right: Linda Simon (BVET), Kevin Power AM (BVET), Percy Knight (Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation), Kay Sharp AM (BVET), Adrian Mitchell (TAFE NSW - Western Institute Director), Bill Wooldridge (BVET), Dianne Kitcher (Central West Community College), Elizabeth McGufficke (Condobolin Adult Education).
The Western Region ACE-TAFE Working Group was formed as a partnership project between ACE and the TAFE Board. The Board of Vocational Education and Training (BVET) provided funding in 2007/08 to undertake a number of consultations with communities in the western region to identify opportunities for collaboration between ACE and TAFE.
Just one of the opportunities identified was the ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project involving the skilling and workforce development for indigenous people in Condobolin.
The Condobolin Vocational Training Alliance was launched on Tuesday 13 May 2008. This alliance is comprised of the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation (WCC), TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Central West Community College and Condobolin Adult Education.
The WCC was formed in 2003 to work in partnership through a Native Title agreement with Barick Gold Mine in Lake Cowell and to develop employment and educational opportunities for indigenous people. The Vocational Training Alliance will support the WCC to achieve goals identified in their 2008/2009 Education and Training Plan.
The Project has been designed to provide meaningful input from all partner organisations and to ensure the training meets the needs identified by the WCC.
Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) 2008
The EmployME! 2008 Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program will include ACE providers partnering with NSW AMES to assist skilled migrants to gain a job in their chosen field of employment through work experience.
NSW AMES will provide Skillmax Online training and support to participants to give them the necessary English and jobseeking skills.
ACE providers with SMMP projects will mentor and assist participants to gain work experience to increase employment knowledge and opportunities and to apply for jobs. ACE providers will refer participants to the Skillmax Program where they have not completed a Skillmax course.
For information on EmployME!, click here or go to http://www.ace.nsw.gov.au/employme.
Rita Fargiorgio, ACE Project Officer, can be contacted on ph: 02 9289 9263 or rita.fargiorgio@det.nsw.edu.au for more information.
VET Quality Network - 2008
The ongoing VET Quality Network project will be managed by Debbie Littlehales, Manager, Member Services, Community Colleges NSW, with a view to it becoming self-sustaining in 2009.
The project will offer a program of information sessions, networking opportunities and professional development events to the ACE sector aimed at increasing the capacity of the sector to use online communication tools. It will also encourage collaboration and resource sharing, particularly with regard to the AQTF and quality issues. There will be a separate forum for trainers and assessors and a new group for sharing CSWE and CGEA resources.
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New South Wales Government
