News & Discussion: Education

[rhino]

Rather than leaving the school leaving age, perhaps raise the education leaving age, so you could leave school at 15 for Tafe or an Apprenticeship, but not drop out.

This is pretty much what Mike Rann said. He says "We want every young South Australian to be in school, training or meaningful work, not sitting at home on the couch, causing mischief or drifting without any real goals,".

So leaving school to take up an apprenticeship or a job in the family business is acceptable. Leaving school at 15 because you're sick of it and anyway you have a part-time job sweeping the floor at the local vet clinic at the end of every day, is not.

[AG]

Classroom stimulus program faces price hike
Article from: The Advertiser
KIM WHEATLEY
July 21, 2009 12:01am

A SEVERE skills shortage is tipped to increase the price of the Federal Government's $14.7 billion classroom stimulus program by up to 15 per cent in South Australia.

Construction companies have begun scouring interstate and overseas for tradespeople as the state gears up for a massive building and construction boom.

The industry expects the shortage will force up prices for the third stage of the Building the Education Revolution when combined with the state's 1500 projects covering social housing, transport infrastructure, super schools, hospitals, defence and mining.

While construction companies were reluctant to speak out about the price rises, the Master Builders Association said it had heard the increases could be "anything up to 15 per cent" in the September round of funding.

WHAT NEEDS FIXING AT YOUR SCHOOL? Have your say in the comment box below.

Association executive director Rob Stewart said the extra work was a "good problem to have", saying it had helped the state "dodge the recession".

"The timing (of education projects) has been brilliant for the industry because I think if we hadn't had this, the commercial side of the industry would have been sliding into a downturn," Mr Stewart said.

"And it's given the industry a real lifeline probably for the next 2 1/2 years."

About 170 construction companies are involved in the $1 billion worth of projects, which include building classrooms, libraries and halls, as well as science and language centres.

Mr Stewart said builders were actively recruiting master tradespeople from overseas and he called on the Federal Government to reassess its recent immigration cuts.

It is estimated SA needs about 5000 builders and tradespeople over the next decade to counter the effects of an ageing population.

"The Federal Government changed visas on the basis of protecting jobs, but if there's going to be a problem with capacity I think they need to relook at the visa situation," Mr Stewart said.

"And with the State Government's 30-year plan – and an expected population increase of half-a-million – that means a quarter-of-a-million more houses to be built, so we're going to need more than just offering jobs to Australians."

Schiavello SA, which has about $18 million of work in the first two rounds of the education revolution, recently hired 35 extra people – and it wants more.

State director Steve Lockwood said the company would be "employing as many people as we can".

"We've got this opportunity of 18 months to two years of work and we can double the size of our business . . . and we go from there so this is a golden opportunity," he said. "All our state-based people are taken up so you have to go overseas and there's a good pool of people leaving the UK."

Candetti Constructions, which has won nine school projects, is another looking to source UK talent.

Executive chairman Alex Candetti said: "We're looking at hiring overseas, especially from England because the English economy is so bad.

"We're finding that master tradespeople are actually knocking on our door wishing to have a start in SA and they're funding their own way here, so it's good for the state," he said.

Office of Major Projects executive director Rod Hook expected prices would rise for the education projects but could not give a figure.

"We know that as we go to the third stage we will be subject to the prices that builders put forward and there may be some increase in prices," he said.

But he said SA was about to embark on an unprecedented construction phase. "We have the most intensive capital investment program probably in the history of the state" Mr Hook said.

"We're upgrading our rail lines, we're building roads and underpasses and overpasses, we're building 1500 new homes and 700-plus school projects and defence – so there's a lot of activity and it's quite exciting."

Treasurer Kevin Foley said the Government would "be happy to listen to the needs of the industry to help them find the best workers to meet their requirements".

He also said the Government was still working towards a memorandum of understanding to bring workers from the Philippines to SA, which was put on hold this month because of the global financial crisis.

A spokesman for Federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the Government recognised there needed to be a more targeted skilled migration program so migrant workers were meeting skills shortages and not competing with local workers.

[Will]

From the Advertiser:

South Australian universities gear up to offer their best

This story was published: July 29, 2014 2:34PM




UniSA City West concept images March 2014 - Great Hall Source: Supplied


SOUTH Australia does not need glitzy tourist attractions or millions of residents to help one of the most prospective sectors of the economy thrive.

What it needs is a community which is welcoming and supports the growth of an industry which delivers benefits on a number of levels.

That industry sector is education which has been expanding to tap into the international student market as well as enhance the domestic research and teaching capacity.

Formally launched last week, newcomer to the space Torrens University already has its sights set on a national footprint managed from Adelaide.

Also on the smaller but ambitious end of the scale, University College London aims to invest another £1 million on its Adelaide campus next year to grow student numbers and broaden its courses.

Then, the big three universities of Adelaide, Flinders and UniSA have all gone through a period of enormous capital investment over the past few years. And this building program is far from finished.

Flinders hasn’t completed the first building at the Tonsley precinct and is already evaluating tendering more.

The University of Adelaide has recently completed the photonics centre and other on-campus buildings and is on track to build alongside the SAHMRI in the health and medical precinct on the western end of North Tce.

UniSA will have its own building in that precinct and is currently engaged in the tendering process for its Great Hall project in the City West campus.

Clearly, this is creating opportunities for architects, engineers and construction.

Once built, there will be work for the academic and administrative staff. Then there’s a direct benefit to the SA community through the students who will be taught and advance their research. A population with a big pool of well-educated workers will make SA a much more attractive destination for investors.

Further, the networks of links into our trade partner countries will grow and blossom through the international students who read here.

Yet, while the fabric of the university campuses is thriving there is a gap in the community support for the sector.

With the exception of on-campus facilities such as Adelaide’s Hub, there are few obvious, welcoming spots in Adelaide for the international students. By and large it’s been left to the private sector to develop student accommodation and social gathering spots such as dessert bars and market food halls.

SA should do better than that. The size of the Adelaide is ideal to create an education crucible where students meet, share, learn and laugh together — and interact with the broader community.

If we can create the feeling of a university town in the same way major arts and sports festivals grip the city in a way that’s never possible in a big city, it will help Adelaide and SA become the destination of choice for study.

[Will]

From the Advertiser:

Adelaide-based Torrens University Australia eyes expansion

This story was published: July 29, 2014 12:30AM



TORRENS University Australia will have campuses in every major Australian city within five years under ambitious expansion plans.

The fledgling private institution, officially launched by former US President Bill Clinton last week, aims to tap the resources of its parent group Laureate International Universities to spread across the country and into Asia.

The university’s first move will be to expand from its base in the Torrens Building on Victoria Square into the old Menz Biscuit Factory building on Wakefield St.

Its undergraduate offering will grow to include media design and public health courses next year.

“Why would we want to go slow”? Torrens Vice-Chancellor Fred McDougall said in the wake of Mr Clinton’s visit as the Laureate group’s Honorary Chancellor.

“Looking ahead five years, we will have campuses in every major population centre around Australia and (be moving) into the Asia-Pacific.

“In terms of numbers, we may have up to 4000 students by that time.”

Torrens aims to double its initial intake to 400 students by the year’s end.

Professor McDougall said it would offer on-campus, online and mixed courses as it expanded across Australia.

He said the Federal Government’s plans to deregulate university fees could make private universities more attractive by closing the cost gap with public competitors.

Torrens was happy to operate under the current funding system but was closely watching the passage of the reforms, which would give private providers access to Commonwealth funding for undergraduate courses for the first time from 2016.

“The market determines whether we are successful or not,” Prof McDougall said.

Torrens began operations this year offering several postgraduate courses but just one bachelor degree in commerce. At $57,600 it was priced far in excess of public university courses, but the 20-odd students who took it up were given full scholarships.

Postgraduate courses, accounting for the bulk of students, were much more competitively priced.

Torrens Chancellor Michael Mann said the university had not received any state or federal government funding to get started.

Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne said his reforms would “level the playing field” between public and private institutions, creating “unprecedented competition”.

“Students will win on choice, quality and value for money,” he said

P.S. that last quote from Christopher Pyne, shows how out of touch he is - I'm sure students will love the "value for money" of starting their working lives saddled with debts equivalent to mortgages....