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AE News Volume 11, Issue 8
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Upcoming Events
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9 May - Alcohol and Drug Awareness W/shop
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30 May - Cultural Awareness W/shop
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Tech Fest To Showcase Victoria’s Tech Schools
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On Tuesday this week, Minister for Education James Merlino joined Tech School students from schools across Victoria at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) as they launched Tech Fest and embarked on the Melbourne Design Week Challenge ‘e-waste evolution’.
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Interactive art installations, investigating technology in sport, and building a robot from electronic and 3D printed parts are just some of the highlights of this year’s exciting Tech Fest.
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Celebrating all things, science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), from March 19 to April 8, Tech Fest will give students, teachers and families the opportunity to discover more about the Tech Schools and the cutting-edge programs they will deliver.
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Students will deconstruct e-waste, like old laptops, and use recycled components to re-purpose into new products.
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The NGV Triennial showcases the use of STEM across mediums including fashion, furniture and interior design, and like Tech Schools, Melbourne Design Week and the NGV Triennial show what design thinking can achieve and how sustainability is critical to our future.
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The Tech Schools and the NGV have discussed many ways that they may collaborate, and today’s Design Challenge is the first event.
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Tech Fest will provide an insight into each of Victoria’s Tech Schools. Activities include:
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- Students working with mentors from ACMI to design and create projection art that reflects the local environment
- Students discovering more about technology in health, virtual reality and robotics
- Building and programming robots from electronic components and 3D printed parts
- Investigating the impact of technology on sport with the AFL’s Geelong Cats
- A fun opportunity to invent, create and pose solutions to an array of community-based challenges.
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February Employment Data Released
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Data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed an increase in jobs in February, however our unemployment rate still increased by a further 8,900 people looking for work.
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The focus was on full-time jobs increased by 64,900 however our part-time jobs decreased by 47,500.
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Job numbers have now grown for a record 17 consecutive months to February 2018.
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When reviewing monthly trend figures the unemployment rate has remained steady at 5.5 per cent.
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“While the unemployment rate remained steady, the underemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 8.3 per cent over the quarter, and is now at its lowest point since November 2015,” the Chief Economist for the ABS, Bruce Hockman, said.
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Snapshot – Seasonally Adjusted Estimates for Feb 2018 (Monthly Change)
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- Unemployment rate increased by 0.1 pts to 5.6% (8,900)
- The number of unemployed people looking for full-time work increased 13,600 to 512,900
- The number of unemployed people only looking for part-time work decreased 4,700 to 221,200
- Underemployment (those who have a job but who want to work longer) rate increased by 0.1 pts to 8.4%
- Underutilisation rate (sum of unemployed and underemployed) increased by 0.1 pts up to 13.9%
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For further information please view the full stats at ABS.
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Skillinvest Showcase Some Great Work with Trainees and Victoria Police
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Recently Skillinvest acknowledged the hard working efforts of two students from Bendigo Senior Secondary College during a visit by Minister for Industry and Employment Ben Carroll.
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The two students have set the standard for school-based trainees working towards qualifications in administration at Bendigo Police Station.
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“If we had students like the two we’ve had, we would take them every year,” Bendigo Acting Inspector Leesa Johnson said.
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“The level of professionalism they have continually shown in our organisation is such a credit to themselves, their school and their families.”
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Bendigo’s two trainees are among about 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people involved in the school-based traineeship program.
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Jobs Victoria and Skillinvest have partnered to deliver the initiative in collaboration with Victoria Police.
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The two trainees based in Bendigo are believed to have been the police station’s first participants in the program.
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Inspector Johnson said the trainees were gaining an insight into a different side of the organisation than that which many people associated with police work.
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“There is a lot of background work that goes into catching offenders and dealing with incidents,” she said.
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“Our students are exposed to all of that.”
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She said the station’s administration support staff had ‘taken the students under their wing’.
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Mr Carroll said the government was seeking to expand the program.
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“This collaboration between Victoria Police and Skillinvest is providing a fantastic pathway to get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians into careers in Victoria Police,” he said.
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Congratulations to the team at Skillinvest.
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National Training Awards
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The Australian Training Awards direct entry category awards are now open. Applicants may have the opportunity to reach the national stage in Sydney in November 2018 and gain Australia-wide recognition their outstanding practices in vocational education and training.
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Categories include:
Registered Training Organisation
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*Small Employer of the Year Award is direct entry for WA and NSW applicants only.
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Applications close 31 May 2018.
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Have Your Say in the Future of Training
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How has your VET course helped you to achieve your goals? This is the question the Victorian Government is asking around 200,000 students in the annual Student Satisfaction Survey.
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Students who completed or exited any government-subsidised VET courses provided by registered training providers in 2017 have been sent a survey to complete online, via SMS or by mail. The survey asks students to share their views on a range of topics including teaching quality, relevance of skills learnt and how training has helped in achieving their goals.
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Results from the survey provide valuable insights for course improvements and planning to better meet the needs of future students and deliver qualifications that lead to employment opportunities, not just certificates.
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It will only take 10 minutes to complete so do it on the train, at morning ‘smoko’ or while waiting for your coffee. All you have to do is complete the survey and you will go in the draw for a great cash prize.
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Giving students a voice in the future of training is a Victorian Government commitment through Skills First. There is also a range of information and resources to help students access the right training for them at the Skills First website.
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Victorian Youth Week Coming Soon: 13 - 22 April
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Victorian Youth Week (formerly National Youth Week) is week-long celebration of young people (aged 12–25). Each State across Victoria now celebrates the achievements of youth sometime in March – April.
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Victorian Youth Week gives you an opportunity to express your ideas and views, and act on issues that affect your lives. It also lets you have a lot of fun and celebrate the positive contributions young people make.
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This year, events in Victoria will be organised to celebrate and recognise the contribution of young people.
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Victorian Youth Week 2018 will be held from Friday 13 to Sunday 22 April 2018.
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NCVER Update
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This week NCVER released three research papers.
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New Award to Celebrate Inclusive Training
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This week the Victorian Government also announced it will create a new award for recognising Victorian training providers with an outstanding record of delivering training to students with a disability at the 2018 Victorian Training Awards.
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Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney encouraged eligible training providers to nominate for the new Victorian Inclusive Training Provider of the Year Award, which will be presented for the first time at the awards in Melbourne later this year.
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The award is open to all TAFEs and private Registered Training Organisations across Melbourne and regional Victoria that have brought in innovative changes to support the achievement, engagement and wellbeing of students with additional needs.
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Now in their 64th year, the Victorian Training Awards celebrate collaboration and innovation across the state’s training sector by recognising the outstanding achievements of vocational education and training students, teachers and the businesses and training providers who train them.
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Applications for the 2018 Victorian Training Awards close midnight on Monday 2 April 2018.
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Nominations Open For 2018 Victorian Training Awards
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Now in their 64th year, the prestigious awards recognise and honour the outstanding achievements of vocational education and training (VET) students, teachers, and the businesses who train them.
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The Awards are an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your skills and journey within the training and TAFE system, and meet industry experts and employers from across Victoria to help build your career.
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The Awards are open to all Victorian students in vocational education and/or training, from a range of backgrounds and age groups. There are five student award categories, including Apprentice of the Year, Vocational Student of the Year, Trainee of the Year, Koorie Student of the Year, and School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year. Winners receive $5,000 prize money, and become Victorian ambassadors for the TAFE and training sector.
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Nominations for the awards are now open - until midnight on 2 April 2018.
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We encourage you to get involved and nominate for the 2018 awards. To give you all the information you need and help you with your nomination, we have developed:
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- The 2018 VTA Guide
- Student factsheet
- Information on preparing your nomination
- FAQs
- Conditions of Entry
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Thanks to our Industry Partners
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