Annual Report 2006 - TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute

Our Business - Growth and Diversificationhospitality for school students. Students also participatedin the Independent Schools Hospitality Program, which wasconducted for 5 days and enabled students to sample TAFEstudy while participating in practical onsite learning at theNSI Blaxland Hotel and Conference Complex.In partnership with North-West Business Education Network(NWBEN), NSI TVET staff investigated and implementedstrategies that will develop wider consultation with thecommunity, industry and parent groups to support andencourage participation in TVET and other vocationaleducational programs.After widespread canvassing of local community partnershipsincluding industry, four automotive pre-employmentprograms were conducted within the Institute. Many of the45 participants were drawn from local schools.Peer Literacy training was delivered to 15 schools within theNorthern Sydney region.A number of short commercial programs were conductedfor schools, providing training in areas such as OH&S SiteInduction, animation, multimedia and Photoshop.TAFE Delivered Vocational Educationand Training (TVET)Northern Sydney Institute continued to experience strongdemand for TVET programs with 2,607 enrolments in2006, an increase of 7.9% over 2005. The increase canbe attributed to the development of strong networks andrelationships with local schools and the willingness ofcolleges to deliver courses, through servicing arrangements,where there is demand.NSI TVET student results for courses contributing to theUniversities Admission Index of students continued toremain above state averages. Northern Sydney TVETstudents continued to achieve excellent results in the 2006NSW HSC, achieving first in the State for Accounting, theInstitute’s first Band 6 results in Construction and Hospitality,numerous Band 5 results in Business Services, and Tourismstudents were represented in the Top Achievers in Courselist.Growth has reflected the popularity of courses in Sportand Recreation, Hair and Beauty, Welfare and Nursing, thetraditional trades areas of Construction, Electro-technologyand Graphic Design, Multimedia and Web Design. Crosssectoralpromotional activities continued to focus on theopportunities available in skill-shortage areas and developingnetworks.For the first time, NSI - Hornsby College conducted asuccessful targeted-TVET IT program for girls, and twostudents in the group achieved a Band 6 result. One studentwon a Gold Medal at the National WorldSkills competition.(Further details are shown in the Student Achievements andAwards section of this report).In response to popular demand, an innovative course inAutomotive Sound Installation was completed by 30 TVETstudents at Hornsby College.NSI TVET continued to expand delivery of courses thatcapture the local flavour of schools and student demand,and it is preparing to offer boat building to Pittwater HighSchool for the 2007 Academic Year.Hornsby College TVET Events Management studentsparticipated in an innovative partnership with Hornsby ShireCouncil to develop a music/skate event for Youth Week.Year 12 students were provided with more flexible deliveryoptions for completion of the Certificate II in Accountingand Hospitality through block delivery during vacationperiods.NSI has developed a School Partnership and TVET Plan forworking together with schools to achieve better vocationaland further study outcomes for students, and NSI participatedin the regional School Industry Leaders Forum.TVET staff continued to work closely with school specialeducationconsultants to provide course offerings andpost-school options for students with special needs. An NSITVET special needs student outcomes survey conducted in2005–2006 indicated that 75% of students with specialneeds who completed a TVET course were employed inearly 2006.Community LinksThe Institute continued to develop its links to and supportfor the community through various initiatives.In 2006, Northern Beaches College developed stronglinks with the local Tibetan community, which led to thedevelopment of a volunteer mentoring program to assistmigrant and refugees with settlement and educationalissues. The Institute has also been successful in gainingDepartment of Education, Science and Training (DEST)funding to deliver complementary language training tosupport the new settlers to pass their licence test.Carpentry and Joinery students from Hornsby Collegecompleted construction projects for Rural Fire Services,Brooklyn Brigade and Wahroonga Primary School as partof their studies.Northern Beaches Community Services (Welfare ) students incollaboration with local community services workers hosteda Conference titled ‘Social Justice in the New Millennium’with the aim of bringing together the community servicesindustry in the Northern Sydney region to explore key issuesand future directions in the areas of mental health, housingand disability, and strengthened community networks. Theevent had a line-up of high-profile guest speakers, includingProfessor Julian Disney of the Social Justice Project from theFaculty of Law, University of NSW, and it was attended by180 participants.Annual Report 2006 19