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Your community newspaper. FIRST for news and information in the region Volume 9, Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Stage four approval for Training Centre T
By Millie Thomas
he Roxby Downs Desert Training Centre (DESTTC) has been approved for stage four funding, which could end up as much as $1,951,500. The original application in 2010 requested $3.3 million for the project. However, the revised application in 2011 has proved to be more successful. The Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations announced on December 16, 2011 that eight projects, benefitting 17 schools in South Australia had been approved for funding. Nationwide, a total of 87 projects, benefitting 169 secondary schools have been approved and more than $176 million allocated. The approval of the DESTTC, which will not only benefit schools in Roxby Downs but also Marree and Woomera, has been
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welcomed, after previous applications were unsuccessful. Kath Macalister and Juliette Demaine resubmitted their application for funding on October 28 last year, after not meeting all DEEWR requirements in their previous submission in 2010. Funding for the DESTTC will go towards refurbishing the existing facility in the TAFE and school building, to include engineering, automotive, construction and electro technology workshops and the provision of equipment across three sites within the cluster. In response to community feedback, the centre will deliver certificate I, II and III qualifications in automotive, construction, electro technology and engineering to address skills shortages in the trades of cabinetmaker, carpenter and joiner, electrician (special class), electronic equipment tradesperson, fitter, metal fabricator, metal machinist, motor mechanic,
plumber, refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic, sheet metal worker, toolmaker and welder. Roxby Downs Area School Principal, Kath Macalister couldn’t be happier the process has finally been approved. “We’re overjoyed we finally got it,” she said. “We’re excited to offer pathways to people in this region.” According to Mrs Macalister, the existing TAFE workshop will be gutted and refitted to suit each pathway area, to be ready for enrolled students hopefully by the start of 2013. Although there is no official student capacity released on the facility, Mrs Macalister indicated initially there will be enough space to incorporate post school training as well as to school students. “It won’t, however, if the expansion goes ahead, have the capacity to cater for all of the training that is needed,” she said. However, to help compliment these additional pathways added to the tertiary
education variance in Roxby Downs, Mrs Macalister said an introduction to the trades needed to be done long before admission into the DESTTC. “This gives us the ability to offer these trade pathways but there’s a whole lot of work that the school needs to do in conjunction with TAFE, as with the other two schools,” she said. “We need to be introducing elements of this trade training much earlier from the start of the secondary years of education.” Next up for the development of the DESTTC will be stage five, which will incorporate contract tendering and consultation between the successful tender and TAFE and RDAS staff. “We want our young people to see that the sky’s the limit but you don’t get it without putting the effort in,” concluded Mrs Macalister.
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We’re excited to offer pathways to people in this region
Joel Vanzati starts his refigeration mechanic apprenticeship in February and could be one of the many beneficiaries of training at a local trade centre.
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