Message from the ACFE Board Chair
On behalf of the ACFE Board, I would like to thank everyone involved for the work you have done to strengthen the Learn Local sector in Gippsland and the contribution you are playing in assisting individuals and to strengthening communities that the benefits of education bring. I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand this great work and I can see the difference you are making in providing even further opportunities for people to participate in a positive educational experience, gain the confidence they need to believe they can take the next steps and develop skills they need to go onto further education, get a job or change careers.
I have been well informed of the projects, programs and efforts you are part of and together with the Board have taken interest in your work. Some of the highlights of this work include:
An award-winning collaboration with Central Gippsland Health in Sale, in the development of a 120-hour Kick Start your Career in Health pre-employment program. A significant number of employees have gone on to employment in the industry or moved on to further studies in allied areas.
Co- design and delivery of a six week course, Kick start your Career in the Disability Sector with the Department of Health and Human Services and other disability providers which is now being delivered by a number of Learn Local providers across Gippsland.
The successful collaboration with Aussie Broadband, which has resulted in a significant number of learners finding employment in the call centre industry. I was very pleased to hear that other call centres are now also asking for similar pre-accredited training.
The publication of the Gippsland Learn Local course guide, Gippsland Learn Local website, newsletters, banners, partnership with V-Line, video production and media releases have all significantly raised the profile of the Learn Local sector and pre-accredited training in the region.
The Minister for Training and Skills, the Hon. Gayle Tierney, highlighted the fantastic work of the Strengthening Pathways for Adult Learners in Gippsland team with her acknowledgement of the publication of the Gippsland Learn Local course guide at an event at Aussie Broadband in Morwell in February 2019. This course guide has since been adopted by all the other regions across the state and can be found on the Learn Local website at www.learnlocal.org.au.
As most of you will know, the ACFE Board is currently developing our new multiyear strategy for the Learn Local sector for the years 2020 to 2025. It’s very exciting and timely to be doing this right now in the context of a developing vision for the broader post-secondary education system, and the ACE summit to be held in August this year. It is important through this policy work and the ACFE Board strategy, that we influence and frame a clear and recognised place for the adult community-based education and training sector within the vocational broader system.
Our new ACFE Board Strategy will be visionary, clear, and measurable, and place a strong focus on learners. It will bring together four strands: a review of the ACFE Board Strategy 2016–19; a scan of our current and emerging operating environment; a review of relevant research reports over recent years; and, very importantly, extensive consultation with sector stakeholders. I hope that some of you were able to attend the various consultation sessions that occurred in Gippsland over the past couple of months and I will keep you updated on the Strategy’s development and then come to each region to discuss it with you when it is finalised and endorsed by our Minister.
The ACFE Board knows it has a unique opportunity right now to shape and form how our sector will look in coming years and we look forward to sharing our new Strategy with you later this year.
Through pre accredited training and programs you make a difference to so many. Thank you for your passion, commitment and innovative work as Learn Local providers.
Maria Peters
ACFE Board Chairperson