Light Of The Quasar: Providing Choice For Australian High School Graduates

What is an 'Education Precinct' all about? To summarise, it is the combination of a senior high-school campus with the various learning organisations that are available to them when they graduate, all combined at the one location. The primary benefits of this one-stop-shop approach is to encourage those leaving high-school to continue study, increasing their chances at finding work and to provide a smoother transition from each learning organisation to the other.

The concept is a new one and the first facility of this kind is due to open for business in Churchill, Victoria, Australia, next year. The initiative has been pushed by the Victorian Government as a model that may be used internationally. It will be part of the existing Gippsland Campus of Monash University and integrate a college that features training based on workplace situations, an on-the-job training group, education facilities for local government and the University itself.

The idea underlying the Precinct is in sync with the needs of the Gippsland region itself, an area that has suffered through economic hardship for over a decade. The economic situation has had a great impact on the young people of the area. Youths who have seen their parents work in the local mining industry; have also seen many of those jobs taken away. This is also true of the decline in farming and the local retailers who relied on farmers and miners to support their income. Let me say that the incentive to achieve for a high-school student that wants to remain in Gippsland is not very high; a major reason for this is the lack of employment to replace what was lost.

This mining industry was a state owned operation that centred on Gippslands Latrobe Valley. The major population centres were either formed for or expanded because of the need for more coal workers, the plants supplying the states power. In fact, one town that was in the area simply does not exist anymore, not even as a ghost town. Sounds strange, but its true, the whole town was dug up for the valuable coal that was underneath it. Little remains of what was once a town called Yallourn, apparently it was a nice place too, but just not nice enough to be spared, I guess.
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The change in state government and the emphasis on cutting debt brought a great amount of sales of government assets, regardless of their profitability. What were the Victorian governments greatest assets? The power stations and the open cut mines that supported them. They were all in one place and trying to replace the jobs that would be lost by privatisation was not a concern of the pig-headed and arrogant state premier of the time. Re-training the workers who left was not an option either, despite how sensible that sounds. Many who left took the money and relocated to warmer places, therefore many Victorians would become Queenslanders overnight, with most going to Brisbane or The Gold Coast. Regardless of where they went; many were either unemployed or they simply retired (for those who could), this is what their sons or daughters had to look forward to? "Why bother trying to make something of yourself if you would end up on welfare too?" was the thought of many.

Of the younger generation who had no problem with leaving the area and could, most would go to the states capital, Melbourne, where there was plenty of work, or interstate. Many saw this as something cool to do, while that may be their opinion, I would like to think it was more about trying to find work than being cool, besides many missed the place too much and came back (I guess they werent 'cool any more). Despite employment issues, many residents dont realise what they have. The Latrobe Valley in particular is only a couple of hours away from everything. From the state capital Melbourne and national capital Canberra, the snowfields and alpine national parks, the rolling green hills and forests not to mention the beaches and fishing playground of Bass Strait (the watery bit that separates Victoria from the isle of Tasmania). There is much more to offer than would seem apparent, I think the Victorian Government realises this, thus the Precinct idea. More must be done for these people, but at least some people who live there are doing their part.

If you know of an area in your part of the world where the young feel they have no incentive to study further, maybe this Education Precinct idea would be appropriate to encourage them to expand their learning.

For information on the Education Precinct: http://www.gippsland.monash.edu.au/gep/index.shtml

For more on the Gippsland region check out: http://gippsland.com/
See Matts blog at: http://lightofthequasar.blogspot.com/

Copyright Matt Holt, 2004

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