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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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
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.
__________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
