International interest in Ourimbah Campus partnership model

In December last year, Stephen Crump, Pro Vice Chancellor and Director of the Ourimbah Central Coast Campus of the University of Newcastle and TAFE NSW – Hunter Institute, gave a paper at the “Researching Work and Learning Conference” in Cape Town, South Africa.

The conference was attended by delegates from all over the world, particularly the USA, Japan, Europe and Scandinavia, plus a strong contingent from Australia. Mary Johnson, who has worked with Prof. Crump on his research, and lives in Terrigal, was runner up for the award for best paper (which went to a high-flying keynote address).
Prof. Crump’s talk was called “Work, education and validated knowledge: Australian policy and experience”. It was an evaluation of the changing nature of further and higher education through an analysis of global trends towards vocationalisation of curriculum, supported by a case study of the Ourimbah multi-sector partnership and the partners’ goals for making their students “work-ready”. The renewed emphasis on ‘work-readiness’ and public job training will help prepare students for the ‘knowledge society’ and the types of work that the future envisages.
There was much interest in the way the Ourimbah campus combines further and higher education, as well as working closely with local schools. Prof. Crump said, “our local campus is a world leader in pioneering new ways of delivering education and training in a way that encourages people to upgrade their qualifications, and allows them to do it in a way that is cheaper and quicker than if they went through the usual separate institutions. Many delegates were surprised to learn how education and training could be delivered together by TAFE and a university, and amazed it had been done at Ourimbah for more than 10 years.”
Prof. Crump said he is proud to head such an arrangement and appreciates the strong support business, industry and local members of state and federal parliaments give to these goals.
He also commented that he appreciates the support of the University of Newcastle and Hunter Institute in being able to take this work to a global audience. Anyone wanting to find out more about Ourimbah Campus, or get more closely involved in supporting the Campus should contact Prof. Crump on 4348 4014.

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