BOARD VISITS UPPER HUNTER
Board members visited the Upper Hunter region on Monday 12
and Tuesday 13 May as part of BVET’s 2003 community
consultation program. Members spent two days in the region
meeting with local employers, schools and training providers
to discuss vocational education and work skills issues.
In the Upper Hunter, Board members visited Macquarie Generation’s
Bayswater Power Station and Narama Mine - part of Xstrata
Coal’s Ravensworth Operations. A highlight of the visit
was the public forum hosted by the Board in Muswellbrook,
which was attended by 50 people from local industry, education,
training and community organisations. Forum attendees discussed
the challenges facing the region and the role that education
and training can play in addressing these challenges.
In the Lower Hunter, the Board visited Aboriginal education
and training enterprise Yamuloong Inc. in Garden Suburb, Newcastle,
as well as Kurri Kurri High School’s renowned call centre
facility and TAFE’s wine-making centre at Hunter Institute’s
Kurri Kurri campus.
Mr Evans said that the visit was a valuable experience for
the Board, and that regional consultations were an important
aspect of the Board’s work, contributing to a better
understanding of the needs of regional communities.
“We are committed to improving education and training
opportunities for regional New South Wales. We can't begin
to understand the issues for regions like the Upper Hunter
sitting in our Sydney offices. It is only by talking with
local industries, educators and the community that we can
understand the challenges regional communities face in employment
and skills development.”
|
