Macquarie Community College was delighted to host senior executives from the NSW Department of Education at its joint campus of the College and Gateway Community High at our Carlingford site.
We were joined by Simone Walker – Group Deputy Secretary, School Improvement and Education Reform, Lisa Alonso-Love – Deputy Secretary, Education and Skills Reform, Austin Whitehead – Director Training Sector Governance and Improvement, Rachelle West – Manager Training Sector Programs.
The visit was a great opportunity for all involved to discuss and see in action the broad range of lifelong learning opportunities that the College and School engages with – and also that the Department has oversight of from early education, through schooling year to Vocational Education and Training and Adult community-education.
Much of the discussion anchored around pathways and outcomes – particularly for youth and adult learners that may face barriers to participation or disadvantage. Community Colleges and ACE providers like MCC are doing some terrific work in this space "punching above their weight" in areas such as language and literacy, employability, training for aged care, child care and home care as well as providing inclusive special assistance schools to re-engage school aged students in successfully completing their schooling.
CEO Theresa Collignon highlighted the decades of place-based community engagement that helps identify the needs of the very diverse communities we work with in the Sydney metro area and beyond, including some new and exciting school-based child care apprenticeships with a faith-based organisation that runs early childhood and care centre.
"Our aim is always to create a place that is welcoming, supportive, inclusive and diverse where we can help our students gain skills and knowledge but also very importantly confidence and connections to their fellow learners, teachers, communities and employment opportunities," Ms Collignon said.
The visit highlighted a "typical day" in the life of the College and its connected independent School.
The College showcased its diverse programs as a High Performing Provider under Smart and Skilled, Adult Community Education funded and open entry short course programs with the chance to see classes in aged care, child care, English for work at study from beginners to advance, a yoga class and a tech savvy seniors class all running in the College on the day!
Our Gateway Community High students were engaged in some diverse activities – some students in a geography class, others in a workshop with local police liaison officers about cyber safety and others working on individual project works to complete some work for their ROSA – as well as a bit of table tennis in the fresh air during recess.
Left to Right: Stuart Bastock – Head of RTO at MCC, Lisa Alonso-Love – Deputy Secretary, Education and Skills Reform, Theresa Collignon, CEO, Simone Walker – Group Deputy Secretary, School Improvement and Education Reform, Rachelle West – Manager Training Sector Programs, Austin Whitehead – Director Training Sector Governance and Improvement, Andrew Lloyd – Principal Gateway Community High at the front of Macquarie Community College in Carlingford.
Theresa Collignon, CEO and Andrew Lloyd – Principal Gateway Community High (on right) with Simone Walker – Group Deputy Secretary, School Improvement and Education Reform, Lisa Alonso-Love – Deputy Secretary, Education and Skills Reform (on left) in one of the many classrooms at MCC.
Theresa Collignon, CEO, with Lisa Alonso-Love – Deputy Secretary, Education and Skills Reform and Simone Walker – Group Deputy Secretary, School Improvement and Education Reform outside Gateway Community High.