Top of the class honours for regional New South Wales at Australian Training Awards
23 November 2004
TAFE NSW’s North Coast Institute of TAFE, headquartered in Port Macquarie, is Australia’s best large training provider.
The institute claimed the title at Australian Training Awards at the Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne tonight.
The judging panel was particularly impressed by the institute’s exemplary performance across a challenging geographic region and demographic.
The iInstitute has 35,000 students at 17 campuses from Kingscliff to Great Lakes and west to Wauchope. The region has high unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, and the institute focuses on equipping people for work and achieving equitable outcomes in a region with a significant Indigenous population.
North Coast Institute services the fastest-growing area in rural New South Wales, and a coastline stretching 7000 kilometres, delivering training to a diverse range of individuals from ‘seachangers’ and retirees to school-leavers and the unemployed.The institute has addressed client and market needs with a high priority on flexible solutions using new technology to facilitate remote access to training.
According to ANTA chairman, David Hind, Australia’s key to keeping ahead of international competitors is world-class training providers who meet the skill needs of businesses and individuals.
“The North Coast Institute is breaking new ground in delivering quality training when, how and where businesses, students and the community want it,” said Mr Hind.
The North Coast Institute was one of three organisations flying the New South Wales flag at the national awards ceremony. Ballina High School, a comprehensive co-educational local state high school, won the VET in Schools Excellence Award, and Sydney-based print media company, PMP Print, won received the Industry Award in the Innovation and Business category --- the second successive industry award for the Morebank printer.
The Australian Training Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of apprentices, trainees and students as well as the contribution of enterprises and training providers to skilling Australia.
The awards are hosted by the Australian National Training Authority and supported by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training.
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