Cyber friends: Alex from Gibber (LEAP), left, Sophie Hayes from McLelland SC, Bilal Nasa from McLelland SC, Dominic from Gibber (LEAP), Kaycee Gunn Cameron from Mc Lelland SC and Sarah from Gibber (LEAP) put on a show with a message. Picture: Yanni
Performances break down barriers Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au MCCLELLAND Secondary College students enjoyed a theatrical performance with a serious message last Thursday. The 270 students in years 7, 8 and 9 attended Monash University’s Peninsula campus, Frankston, as part of the LEAP Higher Roadshow’s theatre-in-schools performance. Described as being dynamic, hard hitting, high energy and interactive, the show by theatre company Gibber combined humour, music, multi-media and popular culture to encourage students from low socio-economic communities to aspire to professional careers. The performances aim to dispel preconceptions or negative attitudes towards learning beyond the compulsory education period. “For this fun, engaging roadshow, we focused on outer metro and regional
Victorian schools, which often miss out on educational outreach activities,” LEAP program manager Peter Doolan said. “It’s been a huge success with students and teachers alike. “The show engages, inspires and informs students to see the value and importance of school and higher education, and the many different pathways they can take to pursue their dream careers.” At Frankston, students took part in hands-on workshops on Health and Design – two of LEAP’s six profession areas. The gained insights into the many varied careers and roles these broad professions offer – many they may not have heard of, or encountered, before. “We aim to engage with secondary school students to demystify the links between school, higher education and professional careers,” Mr Doolan said. “We offer a range of campus, workplace and school-based activities, along with online resources, to help students and their families learn more about path-
ways into different professions.” The program also highlights careers in business, engineering, law and sciences, with activities designed to encourage students to raise their aspirations. The role of higher education in these career paths is explained and students are encouraged to explore their options. Since 4 November, 20 schools and 2970 students throughout western Victoria have enjoyed this popular event. LEAP Higher Roadshows will play to 13 more schools and 1150 students in eastern and north central Victoria, finishing in Wodonga on 8 December. LEAP is funded through the Commonwealth Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP). It is a collaboration of the eight Victorian universities and the Victorian campus of the Australian Catholic University, Department of Education and Training, Catholic Education Commission of Victoria and Independent Schools Victoria.
Class action strife ahead for Evocca EVOCCA College could face a class action before the end of the year from disgruntled students unhappy with the marketing of vocational courses by the registered training organisation. Solicitor Benjamin Kramer is gathering expressions of interest from former students who believe they were “pressured to sign up or lured in unfairly”. The Queensland based college opened a campus in Frankston in 2013. Mr Kramer says he was contacted by a friend who is a former student of Evocca College “dissatisfied with the service they received”. The Sydney lawyer said “about 250” people so far had expressed an interest in joining a class action against Evocca. “We hope to lodge the class action before Christmas. I’m working on it so we can get it done in the next few weeks,” Mr Kramer said. “In 2014 Evocca received a quarter of a billion dollars ($250 million) and they passed 170 students. Just that alone should be enough to make people realise there is fundamentally wrong here.” Evocca was one of several colleges criticised by a Senate inquiry over marketing practices for federal funded VET FEE-HELP diplomas and short courses (‘College’s marketing to students slammed’, The Times 26/10/15). Students incurred up to $20,000 worth of debt and do not have to repay the VET FEE-HELP funding until they earn at least $50,000 per year. An Australian Skills Quality Author-
ity audit found just eight of 21 privately owned education providers were fully compliant with VET-FEE-HELP regulations. Evocca had conditions imposed on its operations and must now “retain enrolment and assessment records for 12 months” and “report data back to [the] ASQA on a regular basis”. The college has refused to disclose how many students have completed courses at its Frankston campus (‘Unanswered questions on Evocca graduation rates’, The Times 2/11/15). Department of Education and Training statistics show Evocca had 27,907 students enrolled nationally last year but just 1053 students completed courses, a completion rate of less than 4 per cent. Evocca College CEO Craig White has denied the company’s courses are not up to scratch. In September he advised the ABC that “no particular course offering has been alleged to us to be substandard; and no marketing practice has been alleged to us to be in breach of any law.” Mr Kramer said the Senate inquiry findings, released last month, support complaints former students of Evocca have been making. “I think a lot of people were waiting on what the Senate inquiry would reveal. It all confirms everything we believe.” See evoccaclassaction.com for details about the proposed Evocca class action. Neil Walker
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23 November 2015
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