Education

  TERTIARY EDUCATION IN THE MONARO  by Bruce Hovey August 2010

 
Cooma Unlimited has been working for several years to enhance the prospects for Monaro students to gain tertiary education qualifications. Particular attention was given to qualifications such as Tourism which, hopefully, would encourage graduates to return to the Monaro to live and work.
 
In recent years the Monaro has experienced droughts which reduced farm incomes and consequently the money coming into the towns. Few parents have been in a position to support their children through years of study at university. Although money is available to students from government sources many baulked at the thought of spending years paying back loans. Ways around this problem occupied much of our thinking and actions.
 
The University of Canberra, our nearest university, might be expected to show interest in seeking out students to swell their numbers. Their record is spotty. In earlier years, prior to our involvement, visits were made to Cooma but little was accomplished. One research program, on the incidence of skiing accidents and their causes, was in progress but nothing else of note.
 
Visits were made to the University to meet staff but little progress was made. The University shortly thereafter ran into financial difficulties and most of our contacts were removed from office. A new Vice-Chancellor, Stephen Parker, (from Monash) was appointed. Representations were made to him and were rewarded some time later when he and his team made a visit to Cooma at which many informed locals were given the opportunity to raise their concerns. A subsequent meeting with staff members provided opportunity for further discussions but no observable initiatives resulted. In comparison the University of Wollongong, each year, arranges for a bus-load of final-year high-school students to visit their University and spend a weekend meeting faculty members. In comparison students travel at their own expense to the University of Canberra annual Open Day which provides limited opportunities for discussions with faculty staff.
 
Contacts have been maintained over several years with Cooma TAFE which is administered from the Illawarra. With urging from several quarters Illawarra TAFE negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Canberra. Under this system credits for tertiary level work carried out at TAFE colleges are acknowledged by the University and reduce the number of years students need to spend at university, with resultant financial savings.
.
Cooma TAFE carries out extensive vocational training for local young people who are not seeking tertiary qualifications. Their facilities are more extensive than the unpretentious appearance of their buildings suggests. They do a good job in training apprentices and those preparing for a variety of useful careers. They use electronic communications to help those living some distance away. A particular difficulty they experience is the wild fluctuation in the numbers seeking to embark on a given course each year. Very recently they have set up committees to develop strategies for “clustering” courses so that they make the best use of their limited staff numbers.