Education

Local Education for Youth & Adults

Our schools are at capacity and our adult education is either in Rocky, move away or forced to participate online. Our alternative education facility that supported at-risk youth lost its state funding two years ago with the current State Member stating that those youth could go to Rocky every day. Do you know what those at-risk youth (and subsequent at-risk youth) might have done instead? Turned to crime.

Our local schools will not cope with a 55% increase in the population over the following 7 years. That increase is not just an influx of over 50s. We’ll see young families unable to get their kids into schools and sending them to Rockhampton every day.

Start Building Schools

A massive burden could be relieved from Yeppoon Schools with the construction of the Emu Park State High School. Along with increased capacity at EP Primary School. Plans for this SHOULD already be in place and it’s perplexing to consider that has not been done considering the unprecedented growth occurring in this electorate. WHAT AN OVERSIGHT! How is it even possible not to have rolled the ball on this pursuit given it’s been talked about for over a decade? The land has not even been allocated for construction. 

Higher Education

When TAFE decided to pull out of Central Queensland (CQUniversity took it over) and close our local TAFE facility, we lost another avenue for increasing local education levels. We lost the ability to engage our youth and adults in mind pursuits that would benefit OUR community. We lost opportunities to increase our capacity for building better businesses, services and community support networks.

Our local TAFE building, which wasn’t even a decade old was mothballed until it was gifted to the local council, which allowed local Seniors group to meet there. That building should also be available for its intended purpose. Perhaps wise Senior members of our community would be open to sharing their skills, knowledge and expertise with the younger generation.

Where are these connecting community initiatives? A lack of youth, family and senior education initiatives throttles our community’s potential. That begins with an educated engaged community.

Practical Hands-On Education

As the ignorant short-sighted push to force people online for higher education continues, we see fewer and fewer people engaging in higher education, not just because of the exorbitant costs, but the failure to recognise that practical education means providing the space for interactive, hands-on learning. Would you want an electrician who learnt the skills online? Might as well watch a YouTube and do it yourself. (don’t do that, it’s a rhetorical statement)

Info around apprenticeships need to be clearer. The one apprentice per fully qualified worker suggests that a tradesman can only have one apprentice. We all know a supervisor doesn’t need to hover over an apprentice every second of the day. If a teacher can have 30 students in a manual arts classroom then a tradesman could support an apprentice at each year level.

Bring back hands-on practical learning. TAFE was always a technical college for a reason. Not everyone should be a uni student after school. But they shouldn’t miss out either by being forced to do university-style learning for practical education pursuits. This article doesn’t even take into account that most families don’t have access to computers after their child leaves school. So they miss out completely.

Restaff our technical colleges, reopen the buildings, and provide a high standard of education for our hands-on learners.