Australian Training Awards Magazine 2010 - Department of ...

SUSTAINING MOMENTUM
Swinburne University of Technology (TAFE)—VIC
Skills for Sustainability—Educational Institution Award
The Skills for Sustainability—Educational Institutional Award recognises
an education provider that demonstrates outstanding achievement in
delivering qualifications and skills in sustainability, through programs,
products and work practices in nationally recognised training.
Swinburne University of Technology (TAFE)
won the Australian Training Award for Large
Training Provider of the Year in 2009 and
the Innovative Business Award in 2008.
But Linda Brown, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
and Director, TAFE, is especially excited
about the 2010 Skills for Sustainability—
Educational Institutional Award.
‘Sustainability is what Swinburne’s
known for and we work really hard
for that. We’ve been at this for more
than 15 years and we’re developing a
response to green skills,’ Linda says.
Swinburne established the National
Centre for Sustainability in 2001 and
continues to lead the way in innovative
training from foundation level through
to a Diploma of Sustainability and
Graduate Certificate in Sustainability,
as well as Australia’s first accredited
green course in carbon accounting.
‘We’ve got the first teaching qualification
up and running—it’s a vocational
graduate certificate for teachers about
teaching sustainability and embedding
it into their practice,’ Linda says.
‘We’ve also rolled that out nationally and we
allow other TAFEs and vocational providers
to use it as well. You’ve got to build the
capacity of teachers to deliver training in
sustainability and that’s the work we’ve been
doing over the last year. It’s really important
for us to keep ahead of the game—it
takes time to develop your teachers and
qualifications but you’ve got to have them
ready for when industry needs them.’
Sustainability is embedded in Swinburne’s
staff performance plans, and staff are also
encouraged to help reduce their carbon
footprints through Planet Swinburne, one
of many programs under the universitywide
sustainability strategy. The targets
are ambitious, but Swinburne is well on
the way to achieving them. It is aiming
for 100 per cent of its programs to feature
a sustainability element by 2015.
Swinburne University of Technology
(TAFE) is also educating local businesses
on the value of green skills. So far
the Business Transformer program
has helped more than 35 businesses
reduce their energy consumptions.
‘People say to us, ‘I really believe in greening
our world but I can’t afford to run my
business in different ways’. But a lot of the
time they find it saves them money and
brings them new ethical buyers. It’s exciting
when that happens and sustainability
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Australian Training Awards Magazine 2010