VECCI's CEO announced in April that VECCI has formed an alliance with the Education Foundation. The Education Foundation is an independent, volunteer supported charity that believes that kids can do anything with a great education.  The Foundation works with public schools and the community to give young people the opportunity to unlock their potential.  It acts as a conduit for the development of sustainable, quality school-community links.

Why Should Employers get Involved?

This alliance will ensure a strong focus on education pathway options to strategically position VECCI members in addressing skill shortage issues and recruitment to traditional trade areas.  As part of the alliance, VECCI will undertake innovative high-profile activities to promote career development opportunities and to further develop enterprise links with schools and students.  Strengthening links between VECCI and schools will also assist VECCI members to bridge gaps in workplace entry-level arrangements to ensure an appropriately skilled and robust workforce for businesses of the future. 

Key activities at this stage include Back to School Day and Community Partnership Workshops.

Read more at http://www.educationfoundation.org.au/

NORTHLAND @ NORTHLAND SECONDARY COLLEGE
 

VECCI has formed a strategic alliance with NTEC at Northland Secondary College, a highly visible and innovative educational facility and program that will be attended by students from a large number of schools across a wide area in the north of Melbourne.  Northland Secondary College has is committed to the construction of a major, new state of the art Manufacturing and Technology Facility and Program. The new facility will cost $3.5 million and will be available to students in and around Darebin and will open in 2005.

VECCI sees the potential in this alliance to directly address with the manufacturing industry their skill needs in the north of Melbourne and to contribute to the strengthening of the regional economy.  NTEC represents provides a new model for the resolution of industry skill shortages that is both generic and sustainable and provides a prototype model for possible development in other regions around Victoria.

On completion Ntec will provide Vocational Education and Training (VET) certificate courses in Engineering, Automotive, Furnishing and Electronics to Year 11 and 12 students in both VCE and the new Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). It will include training in industrial design, robotics, computer-aided design and computer aided construction (CAD-CAM) and integrate ICT, literacy, numeracy, teamwork and problem solving activities.

OUR COMMUNITY

Through Our Community Centres of Excellence, http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/ provides a one-stop-gateway for practical resources, support and linkages between community networks and the general public, business and government - building capacity to strengthen the community in every Australian State and Territory. VECCI is aligned with Our Community particularly via our membership of the Autralian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) as we are each committed to making it easier to develop or facilitate lasting, successful and sustainable partnerships to create a better society.

The Our Community website provides resources to hlep groups and businesses that share visions, missions and community goals to join together to make those common goals reality.  The knowledge, the lessons and the benefits need to flow both ways, so that both partners are able to improve their contribution to their local community.

Read more and become involved at www.ourcommunity.com.au