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Biological filters improve TAFE water recycling

A group of VET in Schools students are getting their hands dirty constructing a settling pond to recycle excess water run-off at Great Southern TAFE, work which has helped earn the college high praise from national standards authorities.

VET in Schools students John Best, Jerome Peroin and Daniel GunnThis is the second pond to be constructed by VETiS students in the Conservation and Land Management (CLM) program at the college Natural Resources Management Annexe under the guidance of lecturer Carl Dusenberg.

Mr Dusenberg said the students regularly checked the water quality as part of their ongoing training.
"We're really happy with the progress these guys are making on the ponds and test results have shown a high level of macro-invertebrate diversity and the presence of fresh water crustaceans," he said.

"Other wildlife they've noted in the settling ponds include black ducks, white faced heron and even some ibis."

The water containment and recycling activities were noted as an example of continuous improvement at the facility during a recent audit conducted by the Nursery Industry Association Standards of Australia. NIASA Industry Development Officer Garry Hatcher said the nursery reflected a professional operation with a high standard of hygiene and exceptional facilities.

"I am happy with the excellent systems and the high level of professionalism and management standards that are evident," he said. "In particular, I noted an excellent environment for training and working."

"Your nursery is a first-class operation and is a credit to Great Southern TAFE," Mr Hatcher said.

Mr Dusenberg said plans for 2010 involved further expansion of the channel and pond systems with the ultimate aim of redirecting all treated water back into the irrigation systems in the nursery and surrounding grow out areas.

Automotive Training Centre Opens

The future for apprenticeships in one region of Western Australia is bucking the trend with Great Southern TAFE reporting a 50% increase in apprentice enrolments over the past three years and the numbers are still rising in 2009. Great Southern TAFE Managing Director Lidia Rozlapa said she was delighted with the continued apprenticeship demand in the Great Southern, which this year coincides with the construction of a new $1.5M Automotive Training Centre in Albany.

Automotive CentreThe new infrastructure is part of a bigger project totalling more than $2M to expand, upgrade and re-fit several study areas in the College's Trades section to keep pace with industry demand. Other Trades to benefit from the project include Building and Construction, Metal Fabrication, and Fitting and Machining.

"This project is extremely welcome in this time of unprecedented growth in apprenticeship numbers we're experiencing in the Great Southern," Ms Rozlapa said.

"These funds have allowed us to implement critical upgrades to our regional trade training facilities here in Albany.

"The improvements will enable Great Southern TAFE to provide better quality training to our regional apprentices and ease mounting pressure on our Trades area which can sometimes impact other areas of the College."

The siteworks for the new Training Centre commenced in December 2008 and the College relocated its Automotive apprentices to the new centre in October 2009.

Local trio win WA's Song of the Year

Minute 36 bandThree-piece experimental gothic rock band Minute 36 whose members hale from Denmark and Albany made state headlines last week as winners of the West Australian Music Industry Association (WAM) Song of the Year contest in the special "Café Vibe" category.

Band members Kris Nelson (double bass/vocals), Mark Neal (guitar) and Nathan Grose (drums/percussion) received their award at the annual WAM Song of the Year presentation night held at Fremantle's Fly By Night Musicians' Club in front of around 500 nominees, fans, sponsors and VIPs .

Minute 36 was one of 80 nominees across 16 categories selected from more than a thousand entries in this year's contest for their song "Era Quondam", written by Kris while he was studying music at Great Southern TAFE in Denmark. "Era Quondam" also gained national coverage on ABC radio as part of Triple-J's recent Unearthed initiative.

A team of 57 independent expert judging panels consisting of active members of the local and national music industry assessed the entries over three weeks in September. The band was awarded a $500 cash prize plus one day of recording time in a professional recording studio for the win.  Their winning song is also earmarked for inclusion on a Café Vibes compilation album sponsored by WAM and Braziliano Coffee.

Minute 36 was formed during the winter of 2007 in Albany but is now based in Perth.  Denmark music lecturer Tony King said he was very proud of Kris and the boys for their achievement.
"The band workshopped and demoed "Era Quondam" in the 'dungeon studio' here in Denmark when Kris was a student," Tony said.

"When it came to his music career, Kris was a sponge for information or any guidance offered.  And we're all stoked to hear Kris is intent on returning to Denmark to complete his Certificate IV in Music and make a start on his diploma."

Tony said the college will offer a new Diploma in Music starting in 2010, which will be the only WA music diploma with a song-writing 'major'. According to the band's website, Minute 36 gigs are risky, dangerous and uncompromising.  The trio built up their fan-base through organising their own shows in both metro and regional areas of WA, and harassing community radio DJs.

The competition was open to unpublished Western Australian songwriters of all ages and this year's theme was "Creating a Mentally Healthy Community".  WAM is a non-profit membership based association established to develop contemporary music and represent the contemporary music industry in West Australia. For more information on the range of Music Industry qualifications offered at Great Southern TAFE's Denmark campus, contact Tony King on 9892 3222.

TAFElink kicks goals

An innovative vocational training partnership between local high schools and Great Southern TAFE is kicking goals throughout the Great Southern Region. The TAFElink component developed by Great Southern TAFE recently got rave reviews in Katanning from all involved including Katanning Senior High School staff, students and even their parents.

TAFElink studentsKatanning students Abby Sergeant and Mitch Martin spoke about their experience at Great Southern TAFE at this year's presentation to potential TAFElink students and highlighted the alternative pathway to University and other opportunities the TAFElink program offered. The pathway is being recommended to students who do not thrive in the traditional academic format as an excellent alternative to sitting the TEE.

Three students from the 2008 TAFElink group, Braid Bouffler, Nurbayti Taylor and Kaitlin Vann, were each offered their first preference degree course in the first round offers to attend University this year, validating the success of the program. The students felt the TAFElink pathway was less stressful and put them ahead of TEE students because they graduated from high school with a nationally accredited qualification, which made them more competitive and gave them better job opportunities.

Braid's mother Caroline Bouffler said the TAFElink program was the best thing that had ever happened for local students and her son who now studies Sports Science and Education at Murdoch University.

"Braid wasn't studying TEE subjects but he'd decided he wanted to go to Uni," she said. "The TAFE course gave him an avenue to achieve his goal and go to Uni and he still got to enjoy the social aspects of school as well as finishing and getting his graduation through school - he enjoyed a bit more freedom at TAFE with the different learning environment there."

Mrs Bouffler said she was very pleased that her son had just completed and hopefully passed his first university exams. Albany District Education Office Participation Manager Lindsay Campbell said the combination of being school students as well as TAFE students allowed them to keep university and tertiary and entrance options open.

"Great Southern TAFE's ability to actually engage with local industry and local industry needs has helped direct a more relevant and more applicable training regime in our education sector," he said.
"Students have the potential to achieve a higher level qualification of up to Certificate IV by the end of year twelve and to progress in to the Diploma level courses after that.

"From the education sector, we've really appreciated the ability of TAFE to strategically plan with us and the partnership we have with them is probably the most solid partnership I can imagine," he said.

Art project finds a home

Jereka with images Participation in a local art project helping young people and those with disabilities to explore the meaning of 'home' has been so strong that extra workshops have been scheduled for next month. So far 24 artists have used digital and disposable cameras to explore the notions of what home, belonging and identity mean to them, including a group of nine aboriginal girls from the Kimberley Region who are going to school in Albany.

Workshop facilitator and local artist Sue Codee said she was impressed with the work being produced. "We've used these images in sculptural houses we've been making from recycled materials, decorated in any way they want within the theme of 'Take Me Home'," she said.

"The diversity of their work is just terrific and there are some really lovely little pieces coming out of it. Their final products will be in a kind of installation setting, and some will be specially lit to give them a warm glow through doors and windows that open."

The workshops will culminate in a community arts exhibition at the Vancouver Arts Centre opening at the end of November. Sue said given the level of community response to the workshops, the VAC was keen to continue the project next year.

"The workshop groups are all really great - they're all loving the project and its great to work with people who are into doing creative things," she said. Great Southern TAFE Disability Liaison Officer Wendy Macliver said there would be 10 places available in an extra series of workshops for those who missed out in July, starting Friday 11 September.

The 'Take Me Home' project is funded by the Department of Education and Training with local support from project partners Great Southern TAFE, Lower Great Southern Community Living Association, Young House and the VAC - contact Sonia 9892 9461 for more details.

 

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