Students + Community = Completions A Partnership Model of Success

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Students + Community = Completions

A Partnership Model of Success

Blue Mountains CollegeAccess General Education

andMountains Youth Service Team

Introductions

Jann Dillon – Head Teacher

General Education – Blue Mtns College

Ngulla Murrandah – CGVE Coordinator

Blue Mtns College

Maggie Kuypers – Youth Early Intervention Worker

Mountains Youth Services Team

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Background to the model

CGVE cohort : 2004/2005 had complex issues• Drug and Alcohol• Homelessness/Accommodation• Anger management• Juvenile Justice/Legal• Mental Health• Low self-esteem• Poor attitude to learning

Completion rates for CGVE were averaging 50% but slowly declining

More students were presenting with complex issues beyond being disengaged with education

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Background to the model

A meeting was convened with community and youth agencies to see how some of these issues could be addressed

• Mountains Youth Services Team• Police• Centrelink• Refuges• Secondary schools

Previous community networking assisted

Case Management was seen to be a best practice model to help students overcome these issues.

Services offered “in kind support” to assist TAFE students

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Development of the model

Mountains Youth Services ‘Sunday Group’• Geoff Toole worked with young at risk • Accredited educational program negotiated with TAFE• Equity Initiatives funding utilised

TAFE would deliver a CGVE model to the ‘Sunday Group’ students

MYST would provide support to the students•Transport•Food•In class support•Out of class support

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Evolution of the model

Equity CGVE

2006 – 2008

• Very high proportion Aboriginal• Designated room, high

teacher/student ratio• MYST in class support• Flexibly delivered• 15 -20 enrolments

Mainstream CGVE

2004-currentStudent selection• Students interviewed- 2 teachers • Student orientation• Student literacy/numeracy screen• MYST case management• Reduced class attendance time• Integrated delivery• Teacher selection• Assignments: Cross-referenced

Our resultsWhat we noticed!

Completions: in 2005/2006 completions were around 50%

2007 saw an increase to 65%

2008, continued to rise 67%

The interaction of MYST with students was now an ongoing involvement.

Maggie was devoting each Wednesday to TAFE

Other services were also ‘dropping in’ regularly

Students could access support more easily when needed

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The Model Today

Maggie is a regular at TAFE- her contact number is on the staff contact list

Teachers can focus on education while accessing support when needed

Many other educational programs arise due to community interaction

Graduating students are advocates for TAFE delivery- key note speakers at graduation ceremonies

Several youth-oriented case management programs have developed• Young Mums Support• Juvenile Justice• Ylead: Youth Leadership Program• Katoomba/Springwood Refuge• Youth Accommodation Services

Our goal was to build community around students,

-to support the blurred line between TAFE and “Life”

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Mountains Youth Services Team

Role of Youth Services Worker• Support and Advocacy (on-campus and off-campus)• Referral • Transport• Young Mums Program• Centrelink• Sourcing resources eg. Computers

Arrange community agency visits as part of Humanities Units

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The measureable and

non-measureable stuff

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2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

BLUE MTNS

WSI

NSW TAFE

CGVE Average Completion by WSI College2007-2009

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What can you do?

Network with community agencies- how?• Attend meetings/ request meetings• Speak to the local neighbourhood centre to connect with groups:

Youth/ women’s groups/ NESB & CALD/ Job Network/ Centrelink/ local council/ local library/AECG/ Aboriginal Land Councils/

• Consider which groups are appropriate– invite them to TAFE or meet within the community

• Let your MEP know- they may want to come along! • Share community connections with colleagues- TAFE is a strong,

vibrant, learning organisation• People in the community know the TAFE brand- this can be both

positive and negative

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Questions??????

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Remember

TAFE can’t work with community

With over 3500 staff,

Tens of thousand of students

Links with industry etc

We are part of the community,

not separate from.........

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THANK YOU